HUDs Healthy Homes Program SmokeFree Housing

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HUDs Healthy Homes ProgramSmoke-Free Housing

• June 8, 2009

Karen Griego-West HUD Office of Healthy Homes and
Lead Hazard Control
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What is a Healthy Home?

• A home that is designed, constructed,
  rehabilitated, and maintained in an affordable
  manner that supports the health and safety of
  occupants.

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The Healthy Homes Approach

• A Healthy Home Is
• Dry
• Clean
• Safe
• Well-Ventilated
• Pest-free
• Contaminant-free
• Well-Maintained

• Assess, prevent, and control multiple
  environmental health and safety hazards in
  housing

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Historical Perspective on HUDs Healthy Homes
(HH) Program

• FY 99 Congressional Directive for HUDs HH
  Activities
• FY 99 Preliminary Plan finalized
• Program funded at 10M - 8.7M/yr to present

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Healthy Homes Preliminary Plan

• Cross-cutting interventions recommended
• Reduction in Excessive Moisture
• Dust Control
• Improvements in Indoor Air Quality
• Education/Outreach

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HH Preliminary Plan Priority Concerns/Hazards

• Allergens/asthma
• Asbestos
• Combustion products
• Lead
• Mold and Moisture
• Insects and Rodents (IPM)

• Pesticides
• Radon
• Take Home Hazards Work at Home
• Unintentional Injuries/ Fire

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Implementation

• Grants and cooperative agreements
• Healthy Homes Demonstration Program
• Healthy Homes Technical Studies Program
• 101 awards to date
• Approximately 81 million awarded since 1999
• Interagency Agreements
• Contracts

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Healthy Homes Grant Programs

• HH Demonstration Grants (1 M)
• Target High Risk Low Income Housing
• Conduct assessments and interventions for
  multiple hazards w/evaluation
• Focus on asthma/asthma triggers common
• HH Technical Studies Grants (0.5 M)
• To improve hazard assessment and control methods
• To improve understanding of housing-related
  hazards

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Examples of Major Interagency Efforts

• CDC National Healthy Homes Training Center
  (Essentials for HH Practitioners Course) and HH
  Reference and Inspection Manuals
• EPA American Healthy Homes Survey (2006
  pesticide and mold analyses)
• NIST Modeling Transport of Indoor Air Pollutants
• NIEHS National Survey of Lead and Allergens in
  Housing (2000 allergen sampling/asthma)
• USDA Help Yourself to a Healthy Home (booklet
  and website) and Grants to extension programs for
  HH activities/IPM Training for Public Housing
  Authorities

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Some HH Program Accomplishments

• Research grantee first to show mold/moisture
  control significantly benefits asthmatic children
  
• Over 20,000 individuals trained to conduct
  housing assessments and interventions
• Over 2 million individuals reached through
  education/outreach efforts
• Two national surveys characterizing patterns of
  env. health hazards in housing (e.g., lead,
  allergens, pesticide residues, mold)

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Updated Healthy Homes Strategic Plan

• To be completed this month. Objectives are
  organized under four broad goal areas
• Building a National Framework (e.g., developing
  new partners, improving coordination among
  federal agencies)
• Creating HH Through Research (e.g., IEQ and
  health benefits of green construction methods)

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Updated HH Strategic Plan, contd.

• 3) Mainstreaming Healthy Homes Principles (e.g.,
  promoting IPM, smoke-free housing)
• 4) Enabling Communities to Create and Sustain
  Healthy Homes (e.g., developing technical
  guidance, developing and sponsoring professional
  training)

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Mainstreaming Healthy Homes Principles

• Working closely with PIH New Notice
  Non-Smoking Policies in Public Housing
• Will work with other HUD Program Offices to
  encourage smoke-free housing (public and mf Sec 8
  housing)
• Will coordinate with Fed partners, CDC EPA to
  develop materials for owners with public health
  messaging to eliminating env tobacco smoke
  exposure

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PIH NOTICE

• Non-Smoking Policies in Public Housing
• Purpose Strongly encourages PHAs to implement
  non-smoking policies
• Applicability Public Housing
• Background ETS statistics including residents
  at increased risk to adverse effects of cigarette
  smoking
• Policy Discretion Implementing non-smoking
  policy at discretion of PHA, subject to state and
  local law

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Non-Smoking Policies in Public Housing

• 102 PHAs and housing commissions have
  implemented non-smoking policies
• www.tcsg.org/sfelp/home.htm
• PHA Plans must be updated including statement
  of OM, rules and applicable standards when
  implementing non-smoking policy
• Encouraged to revise lease agreements to include
  non-smoking provisions
• Ensure consistent application to all
  projects/bldgs

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Non-Smoking Policy in Public Housing

• IAQ Difficult to achieve good IAQ if smoking
  allowed
• IAQ means minimizing indoor pollutants
• Suggestions to achieve good IAQ
• Installing direct vent combustion equipment
• Provide for optimal, controlled, filtered
  ventilation and air sealing between living areas
  and garage or mechanical areas
• Use low or no VOC containing paints and other
  materials

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Non-Smoking Policy in Public Housing

• Maintenance costs increased when apartments are
  vacated by smokers (cited Sanford Housing
  Authority case study)
• Smoking Cessation National Support
• Provide residents with local smoking cessation
  resources and programs (800-QUIT NOW, etc.)