Federal Healthy Housing Strategies

The following comprehensive strategies for addressing healthy housing, asthma disparities, radon, and lead poisoning were developed by federal agencies and the Surgeon General, often jointly with health and housing experts and organizations.

Healthy Housing

Advancing Healthy Housing: A Strategy for Action
Advancing Healthy Housing is a strategic plan created by the Federal Healthy Homes Work Group, which consists of representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and various federal departments – Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Health and Human Services (HHS), Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, and Energy (DOE) – to reduce the number of homes with residential health and safety hazards. Read the full Advancing Healthy Housing action plan. [url, pdf; HUD, 2013]

Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Healthy Homes
In this book, the Surgeon General describes the evidence based steps people can take protect themselves from disease, disability, and injury that could result from health hazards in their houses, as well as the next steps of a society-wide, comprehensive approach to healthy homes. Read the full Call to Action. [url, pdf; NCBI, 2009]

Asthma

Coordinated Federal Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Asthma Disparities
Created by the Asthma Disparities Working Group of the President’s Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children (a group composed of representatives from several federal agencies) to address asthma among minority populations, the Federal Action Plan is aligned with Healthy People 2020 and supports a number of objectives across various topic areas. Read the full asthma action plan. [url, pdf; EPA, 2012]

Lead

Eliminating Childhood Lead Poisoning: A Federal Strategy Targeting Lead Paint Hazards
This resource outlines the interagency strategy employed by CDC, HUD, EPA, and other federal agencies to eliminate childhood lead poisoning as a public health problem by 2020. [url, pdf; CDC, 2000]

Low Level Lead Exposure Harms Children: A Renewed Call of Primary Prevention
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention drafted these policy and strategy recommendations. The report includes guidance on developing and codifying lead-safe housing practices. [url, pdf; CDC, 2012]

Radon

The National Radon Action Plan – A Strategy for Saving Lives
Developed by the National Radon Workgroup (a group composed of representatives from various federal agencies and environmental health organizations), this action plan is a framework aimed at incorporating radon testing, radon mitigation, and radon-resistant construction into the regulatory systems governing the purchase, financing, construction, and renovation of homes. Read the full Radon Action Plan. [pdf; EPA; 2015]

HUD Rental Assistance Demonstration Program
This program serves as a voluntary preservation tool to stabilize and improve public housing properties by leveraging private and public funding to improve housing quality and address the backlog of deferred maintenance prevalent in public housing units. Some projects may be converted to long-term, project-based Section 8 contracts. [pdf; HUD]