Getting It Done: Advancing State Level Healthy Housing Policy

Through Effective Multi-Sector Collaboration

David D. FukuzawaThe Kresge Foundation

The connection between the health and dwelling of the population is the most important one that existsFlorence Nightingale (1820-1910)

“Connections between health & housing for low income people need to be intentional. This doesn’t happen by serendipity.”

Michael Rubinger, LISC

WSJ, January 13, 2013 on the $100 MM Healthy Futures Fund, with financing from Morgan Stanley

• One out of three metro area homes has at least one healthy & safety

hazard

• National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH

2009)

Advancing Safe & Healthy Housing Initiative

Houses

Housing

communities

ASHHI Sites

Building the healthy housing toolkit

Tools

• Health impact assessments (HIAs)

• Medical Legal Partnerships (MLPs)

• Healthy development toolkits – PolicyLink- – ChangeLab Solutions

More slides to follow here on specific resources for local, regional policy

The California Healthy Housing Coalition

Membership Includes: Housing rights and social justice organizations; Health care and public health advocacy groups; County and municipal healthy housing programs and

building inspectors; Indoor air quality experts

The California Healthy Housing Coalition

Goals and Principles:– Provide resources, expertise, and advocacy for

statewide policies to promote and protect healthy housing

– Particular emphasis on low income and communities of color, children, the elderly and other vulnerable populations

2009• Local meetings• State symposium

2010• Formational Meeting• Provisions Steering Committee• Policy Workgroups

2011• Annual Meeting – Adoption of Coalition Guidelines

Building Trust and Common Priorities

Further details about the formation of the coalition can be found:

www.nchh.org/Policy/Policy-Projects/Healthy-Housing-in-California.aspx

http://www.nchh.org/Portals/0/Contents/CA_Symposia_Report_Aug_2009.pdf

Themes

Human Rights

Civil Rights

Health Disparities

Urban, suburban, rural

• Local code enforcement

• Statewide codes and legislation

• Accountability

• Housing needs to be green, healthy AND affordable

• Research (data collection and health outcomes)

• Building political will

State Policy Agenda

• Address substandard housing

• Increase access to green, healthy, and affordable housing

• Establish evidence-based healthy housing indicators

SB 488

Signed by Governor Brown

August 12, 2013

How did we do it?

Story of Students in San Diego

• Identified a problem (fall 2011):California Health and Safety Code 17920.3(12):

Infestation of insects, vermin, or rodents as

determined by a health officer

• Got local media attention• Developed a solution• Talked with some stakeholders• Pitched a bill with a local representative in

Sacramento (winter 2012)

…but they didn’t get any traction

A “Simple” Fix

What We Got

Infestation of insects, vermin, or rodents as determined by a health officer or, if an agreement does not exist with an agency that has a health officer, the infestation can be determined by a code enforcement officer, as defined in Section 829.5 of the Penal Code, upon successful completion of a course of study in the appropriate subject matter as determined by the local jurisdiction.

Key Lessons

• Multi-Sector Partnerships– Buy-in from key stakeholders– Broad base of support

• Politically Feasible Solution– No costs, no new rules

• Early Coalition Building

What’s Next for CHHC?