Healthy Housing Updates

January 2017

CHHC Members Gather for the 2017 Annual Meeting

Thanks to the more than 100 new and returning members who attended this year's Annual Meeting in Long Beach (January 23-24).  The Annual Meeting is the coalition's one in-person meeting of the year where we hear from experts in the field and establish priorities for the year ahead. This year's attendees heard from a range of healthy housing policy experts, including:  

State of State Housing Policy
Katie Kolitsos, Office of Speaker Anthony Rendon

New Opportunities: Health, Housing, and Community Development
David Fukuzawa, Kresge Foundation
     *article reference
Charise Fong, East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation 

Gentrification and the Health Impacts of Displacement
Katie Balderas, City of Long Beach, Department of Public Health, Office of Equity
     *video reference
 Larry Gross, Coalition for Economic Survival
 Josh Butler, Housing Long Beach 

Local Accountability: Media Strategies
Megan Burkes, KPBS San Diego
     *reference to articles and videos here and here

Lead Poisoning Prevention: A Policy Perspective
Karen Griego, HUD Regions IX & X Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes
Rebecca Morley, Pew Charitable Trust
     *video reference
 Mary Jean Brown, Harvard Chan School of Public Health     

Local Enforcement: Strategies and Challenges
Pete Roque, City of Montebello, California Association of Code Enforcement Officers
Cecilia Sevilla, City of Santa Rosa, California Association of Code Enforcement Officers

Additionally, members participated in a series of small group discussions focused on incorporating lessons learned from the presentations into our state and local work.  We now take the energy generated from two full days networking and learning with us as we look forward to another successful year as a coalition striving to move the state towards healthier housing.  Once again, we congratulate our members on another successful year!

Sponsored By:

June 2016

CHHC Members Recognized for Innovations in Healthy Housing Policy

On behalf of CHHC, Regional Asthma Management and Prevention (RAMP) was awarded the HUD Secretary's Award for Healthy Homes for Innovations and Acheivement in Public Policy.  The award honors our track record in state policy solutions to local housing challenges, including:

• Making California the first state in the nation to add visible mold as an enforceable substandard housing condition.
• Providing all jurisdictions in the state with the authority to require landlords to address pest infestations.
  
• Requiring those cited for a pest infestation to also address any underlying substandard housing condition that contributes to the infestation.
• Ensuring tenants are provided notificatoin about pesticide use by landlords.  

A big congratulations to all our members!

See previous updates

Priorities

CHHC members address healthy housing from multiple perspectives. As a result, the coalition’s priorities represent a comprehensive approach towards achieving healthy housing for all. CHHC organizes itself into three workgroups focused on the following priorities:

• Code Enforcement – addressing substandard housing conditions, including pest infestations and mold, through modifications to code and improvements to code enforcement practice

• Green, Healthy, and Affordable Housing – ensuring that green building is both healthy and accessible at all income levels

• Healthy Housing Indicators – creating evidence-based criteria for healthy housing