WASHINGTON, DC – In an effort to improve living conditions for more Rhode Islanders, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today announced the state will receive $594,000 in federal funding to help identify and eliminate preventable health hazards -- such as lead paint, mold, and asthma triggers -- in Rhode Island homes.  The federal  funding, administered through the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, will help the state and its community partners take an integrated approach to assessing health hazards in at-risk homes and help residents make cost-effective fixes.  The funding will also improve coordination and data collection among key stakeholders in the development of healthy housing policy. 

“This federal funding will help local officials work with families to identify and eliminate hidden home health hazards.  Small problems like a leaky pipe can lead to mold which can cause more serious health issues and lead to missed school and work.  Educating homeowners and making simple fixes can go a long way toward preventing costly health problems,” said Reed, a member of the Appropriations Committee.  “Providing free outreach and intervention services for families who may not have the resources to make necessary improvements will help protect at-risk children and seniors and make our community a healthier place for all.”

In 2008, Senator Reed introduced the nation’s first comprehensive healthy housing bill, the  Research, Hazard Intervention, and National Outreach for Healthier Housing Act, which emphasizes cost-effective approaches and market-based incentives to make homes healthier and safer without detracting from their affordability.  He also introduced the Healthy Housing Council Act which would improve coordination between federal and local governments on healthy housing issues, and provide additional resources in support of healthy homes.

Rhode Island’s Healthy Homes and Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program will continue important, long standing partnerships and collaborative efforts with the Housing Resources Commission, the Office of Energy Resources, Rhode Island Housing, the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office, the Rhode Island Department of to Environmental Management (RIDEM), the Building Commission, and local cities and town.

According to the state Office of Housing and Community Development, approximately 70% of Rhode Island’s housing stock was built before 1978, with 30,000 of the state’s 300,000 pre-1978 housing units in urgent need of lead hazard reduction, and 17% of the population has been diagnosed with asthma.

The Rhode Island Department of Health’s Healthy Homes and Environment Team offers seven steps to a healthy house:

1: Keep it dry

2: Keep it clean

3: Keep it pest free

4: Keep it safe

5: Keep the air moving

6: Keep it poison free

7: Keep it maintained

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