Report to Congress 1999 – The Healthy Homes Initiative: A Preliminary Plan
In 1999, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sent a report to Congress that launched the U.S. Healthy Homes Initiative. In the Appropriations Act of 1998, Congress stated: “$10,000,000 shall be for a Healthy Homes Initiative, which shall be a program pursuant to sections 501 and 502 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1970 that shall include research, studies, testing, and demonstration efforts, including education and outreach concerning lead-based paint poisoning and other housing-related environmental diseases and hazards.”
Congress also requested a report from HUD on the new initiative: “A central goal of the Healthy Homes Initiative is to develop and implement a program of research and demonstration projects that would address multiple housing-related problems affecting the health of children […]. The Committee requests HUD to submit a plan by January 1, 1999, that inventories the problems to be addressed, describes their intersections, identifies key technical questions, and provides a spending plan. In developing this plan, HUD should seek input and advice from experts and researchers, other federal agencies, and experienced local practitioners. Within the [$10 million] Healthy Homes Initiative, the Committee directs that a minimum of $4 million be devoted to preventive measures to correct moisture and mold problems in inner-city housing occupied by families with infants in communities where toxic mold exposure has been linked to acute pulmonary hemorrhage and infant death. In addition, as part of the initiative, the Committee also expects HUD to undertake research on moisture and mold prevention through proper ventilation and other means, and to develop and disseminate model standards appropriate to residential housing.”
HUD’s The Healthy Homes Initiative: A Preliminary Plan (Full Report) was authored by David Jacobs, Warren Friedman, Peter Ashley, and Molly McNairy.
Resources
The Healthy Homes Initiative: A Preliminary Plan (Full Report) [pdf; HUD, 1999]