Leaders in Healthy Housing Recognized at the 2011 National Healthy Homes Conference

DENVER, June 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- At this year's National Healthy Homes Conference in Denver, CO, the National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) recognized organizations and individuals for their contributions to making healthy, safe and sustainable homes a reality for families across all income levels. At an evening reception held on June 22, the National Safe and Healthy Housing Coalition (the Coalition) announced four awards to individuals who have made significant contributions to improving the health and safety conditions of housing for families nationwide; NCHH awarded four grants to community-based organizations as part of its Grassroots Advocacy Network; and NCHH Executive Director Rebecca Morley was honored with the inaugural Healthy Homes Pioneer Award for advancing the field of healthy housing.

National Safe and Healthy Housing Coalition 2011 Safe and Healthy Housing Award Winners

The National Safe and Healthy Housing Coalition Awards recognize individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the healthy homes movement, specifically to help those disproportionately impacted by unhealthy housing conditions, including low-income families and individuals, people of color, children, and older adults. Award winners include:

• Dr. Nancy Crider, DrPH, RN, Program Manager, University of Texas School of Public Health, Texas Public Health Training Center;
• Dr. Brenda Reyes, MD, MPH, Bureau Chief of the City of Houston Children's and Community Environmental Health;
• Rick Goodeman, Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership; and
• David Fukuzawa, Health Program Director, Kresge Foundation.

NCHH's Grassroots Advocacy Network for Healthy Housing Awards Grants

At the reception, NCHH also announced its Grassroots Advocacy Network for Healthy Housing (Advocacy Network) grants. With the support of The Kresge Foundation and the Kellogg Foundation, NCHH works to eradicate unhealthy living conditions with grants awarded through the Advocacy Network.  The grants are bestowed to community-based organizations to help them develop local solutions to address the problem of substandard housing and neighborhoods.

Out of 20 applicants, the following organizations were awarded grants:

• The Metropolitan Tenants Organization (Chicago, IL) to expand its Healthy Homes Project by creating a grassroots campaign to implement a mandatory housing inspection program that will focus on health hazards affecting families in rental units in low-income, high risk areas such as Garfield Park, South Shore and Auburn Gresham in Chicago.
• The Visible Community (Lewiston, ME) to implement Phase III of its Neighborhood Housing League to improve housing conditions in downtown Lewiston on a broad scale.
• Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan (Grand Rapids, MI) to mount a campaign to change local policy to end the city of Grand Rapids' exemption from the rental certification program for single-family rental housing.
• The Childhood Lead Action Project (Providence, RI) to develop a plan of action to influence and improve minimum housing code enforcement policy by convening a network of community, health and environmental advocates to identify opportunities to reduce childhood lead poisoning and asthma triggers in the City of Providence.

NCHH Executive Director Receives HUD's Inaugural Healthy Homes Pioneer Award

At a separate awards reception at the National Healthy Homes Conference, NCHH Executive Director, Rebecca Morley, was awarded the inaugural Healthy Homes Pioneer Award for her leadership in advancing the field of healthy homes. The award was given by HUD's Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control (OHHLHC) as part of the first ever Healthy Homes Leader Awards given to honor the extraordinary achievements of those who are "Leading the Nation to Healthy Homes, Families and Communities."

About the 2011 Healthy Homes Conference

Concluding on June 23, the 2011 National Healthy Homes Conference represented the housing industry's most comprehensive, progressive and educational forum on the issue of healthy, safe and sustainable homes. The conference brought together more than 2,000 health, housing and environmental professionals to work toward making housing healthy, safe and environmentally sustainable. 

The National Healthy Homes Conference was hosted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control, in partnership with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to encourage collaboration on healthy housing initiatives.

To view the full press release, visit: http://www.nchh.org/tabid/139/bfault.aspx?ContentID=118

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.

Media Contact: Phillip Dodge
443.539.4168, [email protected]

SOURCE National Center for Healthy Housing