Economic & Community Development Agency

Changing lives and making neighborhoods better

 

 

 

HEALTHY HOMES


The Healthy Homes Program is a subprogram of the Lead Poisoning Prevention and Abatement Program. When ECDA staff visit your home for the lead inspection, they will also be inspecting for other environmental hazards eligible for fund from this program. For more information on the Lead Poisoning Prevention and Abatement Program, visit:

 

Environmental hazards in the home harm millions of children each year. The Healthy Homes Program addresses multiple childhood diseases and injuries in the home. The Initiative takes a comprehensive approach to these activities by focusing on housing-related hazards in a coordinated fashion, rather than addressing a single hazard at a time. This program builds upon the Lead Poisoning Prevention and Abatement Program expanding efforts to address a variety of environmental health and safety concerns including: mold, lead, allergens, asthma, carbon monoxide, home safety, pesticides, and radon.

 
 

Helpful Documents:

Healthy Homes Brochure



 

What Can I Do?

  1. Keep it Dry ↓
    Prevent water from entering your home through leaks in roofing systems, rain water from entering the home due to poor drainage, and check your interior plumbing for any leaking.
  2. Keep it Clean ↓
    Control the source of dust and contaminants, creating smooth and cleanable surfaces, reducing clutter, and using effective wet-cleaning methods.
  3. Keep it Safe ↓
    Store poisons out of the reach of children and properly label. Secure loose rugs and keep children's play areas free from hard or sharp surfaces. Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and keep fire extinguishers on hand.
  4. Keep it Well-Ventilated ↓
    Ventilate bathrooms and kitchens and use whole house ventilation for supplying fresh air to reduce the concentration of contaminants in the home.
  5. Keep it Pest-free ↓
    All pests look for food, water and shelter. Seal cracks and openings throughout the home; store food in pest-resistant containers. If needed, use sticky-traps and baits in closed containers, along with least toxic pesticides such as boric acid powder.
  6. Keep it Contaminant-free ↓
    Reduce lead-related hazards in pre-1978 homes by fixing deteriorated paint, and keeping floors and window areas clean using wet-cleaning approach. Test your home for radon, a naturally occurring dangerous gas that enters homes through soil, crawlspaces, and foundation crack. Install a radon removal system if levels above the EPA action-level are detected.
  7. Keep your home Maintained ↓
    Inspect, clean and repair your home routinely. Take care of minor repairs and problems before they become large repairs and problems
  8. Thermally Controlled ↓
    Houses that do not maintain adequate temperatures may place the safety of residents at increased risk from exposure to extreme cold or heat.
More details, https://extensionhealthyhomes.org/