ASHHI Advancing Functions in Action:

Using Policy, Advocacy and Enforcement Strategies to Advance Healthy Housing

Session Overview

Presentation Goals

• Raise awareness of ASHHI

• Increase knowledge of ASHHI advancing functions

• Demonstrate advancing functions in action

Panelists

• Amy Murphy, Moderator• Pamela Shaheen• Maricela Foster• Mary Sue Schottenfels• Beth McKee-Huger• Kara Henner Eastman• Aaron Haier• Nancy Halpern Ibrahim

ASHHI Overview

• Broader effort to reduce the health disparities

• Initiated in 2012 via six community sites

• Reduce asthma, lead poisoning & home health and safety hazards

• Advancing philanthropic investment

Advancing Safe and Healthy Homes for Children and Families

Initiative

Sponsored by The Kresge Foundation

www.ashhi.org

ASHHI Sites

• Alameda County, California– Alameda County Community Development Agency

• Detroit, Michigan– CLEARCorps Detroit

• Greensboro, North Carolina– Greensboro Housing Coalition, Inc.

• Newark, New Jersey– Newark Department of Child and Family Well-Being

• Omaha, Nebraska– Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance

• South Los Angeles, California– St. John’s Well Child & Family Center, Esperanza

Community Housing & Strategic Actions for a Just Economy

ASHHI Operational Framework

Advancing Functions

• Policy– Develop relationships & systems that capitalize on existing

resources, programs and services

– Develop standards for HH interventions

– Medicaid reimbursement

– Medical-legal partnerships

• Advocacy /Community Organizing– Involvement of the community most affected

– Assure a community value for healthy housing

– Protect tenant rights and help them negotiate government systems

– Build community-wide coalitions

– Secure political will

• Enforcement– Regulatory infrastructure ~ health and housing codes

– Use and enforce existing laws and regulations

Panel Topics

• Alameda– Healthy Homes Alliance & Pilot Proactive Code Enforcement

• Detroit– Breaking the Cycle Workgroup:

Building Awareness/Building Partnerships

• Greensboro– Community Engagement via Bus Tours and HH Summit

• Newark– Intra-governmental prioritization & coordination

• Omaha– Engaging the medical community to serve children with

asthma

• South L.A. – Collaborating on referral systems, enforcement, and

developing tenant leaders

Alameda County Healthy Homes Alliance

Mission:• Forum for government, community-based agencies

and businesses to develop Healthy Homes policies, strategies and partnerships integrating them into existing housing, health and resource conservation programs.

Alameda County Healthy Homes Alliance Overview

Objectives

• Public policy & enforcement

• Information & education

• Identify best practices & standards

• Build partnerships and broad-based capacity

Subcommittees

• Proactive Code Enforcement

• Standards of Practice

• Media Strategy

Proactive Rental Inspection Program

Overview

• Inspects rental housing on a periodic basis to ensure safety and habitability

• Doesn’t rely on tenant complaints

• Facilitates preventive maintenance

• Preserves housing stock & neighborhood condition

Status

• Working with City of Oakland

• Researching PRI programs

• Soon introducing model draft ordinance to Oakland

• Developing ordinances to include lead and mold

• Pilot project of cross training and joint inspections

ACHHA ~ Status & Future Directions

• Advocate & implement PRI in partnership with the City of Oakland.

• Identify advocacy groups within the ACHHA to facilitate political will in support of PRI.

• Develop public will for developing a mold and lead ordinance.

CLEARCorps Detroit

Breaking the Cycle Workgroup:

Building Awareness/

Building PartnershipsMission:

To create resources and strategies that help homeowners/ rental property owners to:

OBTAIN

MAINTAIN

and

RETAIN THEIR HOMES

Principle Strategies

• Identify “barrier busting” strategies

• Develop key partnerships for resources

• Educate families, service providers, and home visitors

• Provide intensive case management

• Pursue new policies & funding

Breaking the Cycle Workgroup

• Forum/binder for service providers and community organizations

• Addresses barriers to programs and services– Unpaid property taxes– Utility shut-offs– Leaky roofs

• Empower buyers to avoid scam purchases

Breaking the Cycle Successes

REMOVING BARRIERS

HELP with BACK PROPERTY TAXES:

STEP FORWARD State Program

HELP AVOID SCAMS:

Producing BUYER BEWARE brochure to avoid scams

HELP with ROOF REPAIRS:

Bank & Trade Association funding for exterior repairs

HELP with ASBESTOS STABILIZATION:

Asbestos removal allowing for Weatherization

Greensboro Forging Community Will

Annual Housing Summits since 2000

• Inspire—poetry, testimonials, children’s art, video

• Connect—networking, partnerships

• Inform—facts, analysis, trends

Write your commitment on a “brick” to build the foundation…

Bus Tours since 2004

• 85-105 people each tour– Elected officials—and

candidates– Neighbors– Doctors and lawyers– Rental property owners– Faith leaders

• Showing the stories of housing problems—and solutions

10th annual bus tour October 2013

•Asthma Triggers—moldy home•Safety—code policies

•Cold—energy efficiency upgrades•Lead Risks—remediation

Community Will for Healthy Homes

Communications

• Professional videos of each bus tour

• News stories about events and issues, English & Spanish language media

• Guest columns in daily news

Impact

• City council unanimously votes for code enforcement policy

• Rental owners invest $2+ million, private donors give $90,000, city commits $870,000 for housing repairs

• Hospital responds with Asthma Partnership Demonstration

Newark - City Prioritization of HH

• Sustainability Office Funding

• Healthy Homes Court

• Housing Code Modification

Newark - City Prioritization of HH

• Engagement of Policy Makers

• Section 8 Collaboration

Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance

Partnership with Medical Community

• Relationship between housing and children’s medical issues

• Provides services to:– children with low levels of lead– for children with asthma

• Partnerships with local clinics, medical providers and foster care

• Referrals come to OHKA Healthy Home Specialist

South L.A.

South L.A.

• A collaborative effort between three agencies:– St. John’s Well Child & Family Center– Esperanza Community Housing Corporation– Strategic Actions for a Just Economy

South L.A.

A system of cooperation:

• The three organizations work together to identify slum housing conditions and refer residents for appropriate services.

South L.A.

• Enforcement: When appropriate, information about slum housing conditions is communicated to the City Attorney’s Office.

o Target slumlords who own multiple buildings with many units.

o Focus on people super-exploiting the poor.

South L.A.

• Advocacy /Community Organizing: Develop the confidence and leadership of tenants living in substandard housing.

Questions?

The Kresge Foundation’s Advancing Safe and Healthy Homes for Children and

Families Initiative

http://www.ashhi.org/