Fwd: [ciaq] FYI - Healthy Housing Council Legislative Proposal

[Guest guest]

CIAQ@... wrote: From: CIAQ@...

Darlene <darlenesb2000@...>

Subject: [ciaq] FYI - Healthy Housing Council Legislative Proposal

Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:07:42 -0500

The following is from the National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH)

-----------

For Immediate Release

Media Contacts: Dodge, National Center for Healthy Housing,

443-539-4168, pdodge@...

MacRoy, Alliance for Healthy Homes, 202-347-7610 ext. 14,

pmacroy@...

Senators Jack and Chuck Hagel Introduce Bill to Create Council on Healthy

Housing

March 10, 2008-Washington, DC. Today, Senators Jack (D-RI) and Chuck

Hagel (R-NE) announced legislation creating the first Council on Healthy

Housing, which would bring together Federal, State, and local government

representatives, as well as industry and non-profit representatives.

The bill authorizes $750,000 for each of the next five years for the Council

to review, monitor, and evaluate existing housing, health, energy, and

environmental programs and to make recommendations for reducing duplication,

ensuring collaboration, identifying best practices, and developing a

comprehensive healthy housing research agenda. The Council will submit an

annual report to Congress outlining agency actions on healthy housing, as well

as research, policy/program, and funding recommendations.

" The Healthy Housing Council Act will help us ensure that an affordable,

decent, and healthy home is not just the American dream, but the American

promise, " said . " We need to bring together health and housing experts to

improve the coordination of existing but fragmented programs, so that families

can access government services in a more efficient and effective manner. "

Residents of housing that is poorly designed, constructed, or maintained are

at risk for cancer, injuries, childhood lead poisoning, and asthma. Children

and the elderly are particularly at risk. Providing healthier housing in the

United States will help prevent an estimated 240,000 elevated blood lead

levels, 18,000 unintentional injury deaths, and 2,000,000 emergency room

visits for asthma.

" In the year 2008, it is inconceivable that 6 million families in the United

States live in unsafe housing, " said Morley, executive director of the

National Center for Healthy Housing. " Addressing poor quality housing and

detrimental neighborhood conditions must be a high priority if we are to

narrow the health disparities gap and reduce soaring medical costs. "

" This bill takes a significant step forward toward creating the national

infrastructure to eliminate health hazards in housing, " stated Alliance for

Healthy Homes' executive director, MacRoy. " Only by convening such a

leadership team will federal, state and local governments, along with

advocates and industry, be able to succeed in protecting families from

housing-based health hazards. "

Members of the Council will include the Agency heads of the Departments of

Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, the Environmental

Protection Agency, and the Departments of Energy, Labor, Veterans Affairs,

Treasury, Agriculture, and Labor. Six members of the Council will represent

state or local agencies, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit

organizations.

For the complete bill text and additional background information visit:

http://www.nchh.org/html/healthy_housing_bill.htm or www.afhh.org

###

The Alliance for Healthy Homes is the national, nonprofit public interest

organization advocating for practical, affordable policy solutions and working

to build community capacity to prevent housing-related hazards from harming

the health of children, their families, and other residents. The Alliance

stresses the importance of fixing housing-related health hazards before they

cause harm; housing that is decent, environmentally safe, and affordable for

all; and holistic strategies that efficiently address multiple hazards and

their underlying causes. The Alliance works closely with policy makers,

community-based organizations, housing providers, government agencies, and

other stakeholders. The Alliance provides strategic and technical support to

community-based organizations and state and local agencies across the nation.

The National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) is the only national scientific

and technical non-profit organization dedicated to creating healthy and safe

homes for America's children through practical and proven steps. NCHH develops

scientifically valid and practical strategies to make homes safe from hazards,

to alert low- income families about housing-related health risks, and to help

them protect their children. NCHH also works with governmental and

non-governmental organizations to develop standards and programs and guide

their implementation through insurers, lenders, federal and state laws and

regulations, community organizations, and the courts.

--------

Thanks,

Philip P. Jalbert

CIAQ Executive Secretary

CIAQ@...

---------------------------------

Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now.