Southern United Neighborhoods

With funding from the Health Impact Project, a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, NCHH awarded 15 $5,000 Lead Poisoning Awareness Community Mini-Grants in 2017. These grants were for community events focused on raising awareness, engaging community leaders in advocacy, or motivating policy change around lead poisoning prevention.

As a mini-grantee, SUN engaged with low to moderate income residents of New Orleans through hosting a healthy housing & community fair to educate residents, community leaders, policymakers, and the media about lead in New Orleans, prevention methods for various sources of exposure and policy solutions.

In addition, SUN’s presentation at a Justice & Beyond Coalition meeting allowed the group to engage with officials and network for potential coalition partners who are now working with SUN to develop strategic plans for policy recommendations on how to address the lead in the drinking water issue and effectively change the lead service lines that run throughout the City.

Impacts of the funded activities include:
• 175 total attendees between the two events.
• 50 community leaders engaged.
• 25 new coalition/network members.
• Development of an action plan to address lead in drinking water through removing lead service lines and calendar of actions.

Going forward, SUN obtained 50 pledges from networked partners to continue strategic planning and activities to strengthen lead poisoning prevention efforts in the New Orleans area. SUN also made plans with 10 contacts in Catahoula and Calcasieu parishes to address lead and other water quality issues; with follow up plans to expand to Tensas parish later and additional parishes to recommend statewide policy on lead in the drinking water.