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
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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
Advancing Safe and Healthy Homes
for Children and Families
Initiative
Sponsored by The Kresge
Foundation
• Reduce asthma, lead
poisoning & home
health and safety
hazards
www.ashhi.org
• Advancing philanthropic
investment
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
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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
Subcommittees
• Proactive Code Enforcement
• Standards of Practice
• Information & education
• Identify best practices &
standards
• Build partnerships and
broad-based capacity
• Media Strategy
Proactive Rental Inspection Program
Overview
Status
• Inspects rental housing on a
periodic basis to ensure safety
and habitability
• Working with City of Oakland
• Doesn’t rely on tenant
complaints
• Soon introducing model draft
ordinance to Oakland
• Facilitates preventive
maintenance
• Developing ordinances to
include lead and mold
• Preserves housing stock &
neighborhood condition
• Pilot project of cross training
and joint inspections
• Researching PRI programs
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 Partnerships
Mission:
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
Impact
• City council unanimously votes
for code enforcement policy
• News stories about
events and issues,
English & Spanish
language media
• Rental owners invest $2+
million, private donors give
$90,000, city commits
$870,000 for housing repairs
• Guest columns in
daily news
• 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
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Provides services to:
– children with low levels of lead
– for children with asthma
• Partnerships with local
clinics, medical providers
and foster care
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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/