Archived Policy Projects (1999-2013)

 

National Policy Updates

American Reinvestment and Recovery Act
In February 2009, President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) into law, which offered unprecedented opportunities and challenges for energy, housing, and health professionals.

EPA Responds to Advocacy Pressure to Regulate Formaldehyde in Homes
In June 2008, EPA agreed to a series of investigative steps to move closer to national standards for reducing formaldehyde in housing, based on a petition to extend the California standards nationally.

Healthcare Reform and Healthy Homes
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act initiated new programs relevant to healthy housing. This update provided information on the new programs as they were being established.

The Surgeon General’s Call to Action on Healthy Homes
On June 9, 2009, Acting Surgeon General Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H., issued The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Healthy Homes.

State and Local Policy Updates

California Healthy Housing Coalition
The Second Annual California Healthy Housing Coalition General Meeting was held in Sacramento, California, on January 24-25, 2011.

CDC Impact Statements
Statements from 23 states about the impact on their states of CDC cuts in FY12.

District of Columbia Green Building Act of 2006
The Committee on Government Operation and the Environment held a public oversight roundtable on March 18, 2009, to examine the implementation of the District of Columbia’s Green Building Act of 2006.

National Policy Projects

2007-2008 Proposed IPMC Amendments
Documents the results of NCHH’s proposed amendments, along with the Alliance for Healthy Homes, to the International Property Maintenance Code in 2007 and 2008.

Finding Common Ground Meeting
The purpose of the “Finding Common Ground” meeting was to convene leaders in housing, health, and related fields to identify key opportunities and mechanisms (e.g., regulation, education, and training) through which adverse health outcomes from housing can be dramatically reduced.

Green Building Analysis: How Healthy Are National Green Building Programs?
In this update of NCHH’s 2006 report, Comparing Green Building Guidelines and Healthy Homes Principles: A Preliminary Investigation, NCHH compared major national green building and indoor air quality guidelines to its own set of recommended healthy housing criteria to determine whether these programs adequately protect residents from housing conditions known to affect health status.

Healthier Homes, Stronger Families
A national symposium hosted by the Enterprise Foundation and NCHH, Healthier Homes, Stronger Families focused on developing a public policy agenda for advancing healthier homes for low-income families.

HUD’s Relocation and Re-Occupancy Guidelines
This article described the relocation activities observed during an evaluation of the HUD Lead Hazard Control program, jointly coordinated by the National Center for Healthy Housing and the University of Cincinnati (the evaluators), was published in the December 2004 issue of the Journal of Housing and Community Development.

Lead-Safe Housing Policy Guidance 
This guide outlines basic lead-safety standards and includes a listing of key figures, from legislative authorities to property maintenance staff, responsible for various levels of lead protection efforts. It also provides potential opportunities for communities to enhance their codes to improve lead safety and build technical capacity for enforcement. [pdf; NCHH, 2004]

The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention
This report examined how the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program handled childhood lead poisoning associated with lead-based paint hazards in older housing undergoing rehabilitation. It described additional measures to be taken to ensure that the program advanced the goal of eliminating the disease by 2010 and did not create lead-based paint hazards in the rehabilitated housing units inadvertently, thereby protecting the future viability of the program.

Proposals to Improve Manufactured Housing
NCHH submitted four proposals in November 2007 to make manufactured housing healthier. The proposals addressed ventilation, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and toilet rooms.

Window Replacement Symposium
On November 7, 2003, the Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch of the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control (OHHLHC) of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), hosted a one-day symposium on window replacement in Atlanta, Georgia.

State and Local Policy Projects

Boston One Touch: Action Steps for Healthier and Greener Homes for Boston Families
NCHH joined an array of Boston-based partners to develop and promote “one-touch” service across city lead, asthma, and injury programs.

Grassroots Advocacy Network
With the support of The Kresge Foundation, NCHH expanded its efforts to eradicate unhealthy living conditions through a new initiative called the Grassroots Advocacy Network for Healthy Housing. The Grassroots Advocacy Network developed local solutions to the challenging problem of substandard housing and neighborhoods. NCHH facilitated peer communication, offered technical assistance and capacity building support, disseminated promising practices in organizing and housing policy, and provided opportunities for involvement in national advocacy work.

Health Impact Assessment
Health impact assessment (HIA) is a fast-growing field that helps policymakers to take advantage of opportunities by bringing together scientific data, health expertise, and public input to identify the potential—and often overlooked—health effects of proposed new laws, regulations, projects, and programs. It offers practical recommendations for ways to minimize risks and capitalize upon opportunities to improve health. HIA gives federal, tribal, state, and local legislators, public agencies, and other decision makers the information they need to advance smarter policies today to help build safe, thriving communities tomorrow.

Healthy Housing Capacity Building and Technical Assistance Initiative
This initiative provided technical assistance (TA) and/or capacity building to solve a specific challenge or barrier to advancing healthy housing. Successful applicants received 50 hours of TA from NCHH staff over a period of up to six months (between early December 2012 and May 31, 2013), one site visit (if needed) from NCHH staff to provide in-person TA and support, and the opportunity to participate in four “learning network” webinars with other program participants. These meetings provided targeted trainings, highlighted relevant opportunities for healthy homes, and shared new research.

State Health Department Policies for Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels
NCHH asked state health departments about their policies for intervening for children with elevated blood lead levels. This document summarizes the information received. Note that local health departments were not queried, and many have policies that are distinct from the state. [pdf; NCHH, 2008]

Updating and Evaluating Lead Case Management Policies
Another Link in the Chain: State Policies and Practices for Case Management and Environmental Investigation for Lead-Poisoned Children comprehensively analyzed survey responses and reviewed all 50 states’ (and Washington, DC’s) progress on key indicators to pinpoint the need for specific program improvements.