Healthy Homes
What's the Purpose of the Healthy Homes Program?
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. The HHI builds upon HUD's successful Lead Hazard Control programs to expand its efforts to address a variety of environmental health and safety concerns, including: mold, lead, allergens, asthma, carbon monoxide, home safety, pesticides, and radon.
About the Program
Goal: To provide 150 healthy home assessments in the West Anniston community, and to remediate health, safety, and environmental hazards in up to 50 homes spending on average $10,000.00 for remediation efforts.
Target Population: Renters/Owner Occupied households with children under 6, 62+ older, disabled individuals and pregnant women.
Income Threshold: <80% Area Median Income (AMI)
Pre-Screening Form: https://forms.gle/PEweERQvSZHiJHRW8
Ways to Make Your Home Healthier
Fortunately, there are some really simple ways to help make your home a healthier place for you and your family. By following the Eight Healthy Homes Principles below, you can help make your home a healthier place to live in.
Follow the Eight Healthy Home Principles
Keep it Dry - Prevent water from entering your home through leaks in roofing systems, and rainwater from entering the home due to poor drainage, and check your interior plumbing for any leaking.
Keep it Clean - Control the source of dust and contaminants, creating smooth and clean surfaces, reducing clutter, and using effective wet-cleaning methods.
Keep it Safe - Store poisons out of the reach of children and properly label them. 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.
Keep it Well-Ventilated - Ventilate bathrooms and kitchens, and use whole-house ventilation to supply fresh air to reduce the concentration of contaminants in the home.
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 the least toxic pesticides such as boric acid powder.
Keep it Contaminant-Free - Reduce lead-related hazards in pre-1978 homes by fixing deteriorated paint, and keeping floors and window areas clean using a wet-cleaning approach. Test your home for radon, a naturally occurring dangerous gas that enters homes through soil, crawlspaces, and foundation cracks. Install a radon removal system if levels above the EPA action level are detected.
Keep it Maintained - Inspect, clean, and repair your home routinely. Take care of minor repairs and problems before they become large repairs and problems.
Keep it 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.