Environmental hazards in the home harm millions of children each year. In 1999, in response to a Congressional Directive over concerns about child environmental health, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) launched its Healthy Homes Initiative (HHI) to protect children and their families from housing-related health and safety hazards. HUD has developed a new Healthy Homes Strategic plan that lays out the next steps our office will take to advance the healthy homes agenda nationwide. Please take time to review this key document.

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.

Making a Difference: Healthy Homes Grant Activities

Our grants focus on researching and demonstrating low-cost, effective home hazard assessment and intervention methods, as well as on public education that stresses ways in which communities can mitigate housing-related hazards. The Healthy Homes Demonstration Program and Healthy Homes Technical Studies are OHHLHC's two grant programs. Eligible activities may include:

• Developing low-cost methods for hazard assessment and intervention
• Evaluating the effectiveness of interventions
• Building local capacity to educate residents and mitigate hazards
• Developing and delivering public-education programs

Participating in the Healthy Homes Initiative: Eligible Applicants and How to Apply for a Healthy Homes Grant

Healthy Homes grants are awarded to non-profits, for-profit firms, state and local governments, federally-recognized Indian Tribes and colleges and universities, located in the United States. HUD does not make awards directly to individuals.

Information about applying for these grants is available at Grants.gov. NOFAS published in previous years are available at HUD's SuperNOFA archive.