Green and Healthy Homes Initiative Letter of CommitmentMasterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Green and Healthy Homes Initiative
DATE: November 8, 2010
Dubuque
A94medcaCity
2007
Public Health Specialist Mary Rose Corrigan recommends City Council approval to
submit a letter of commitment to become a Green and Healthy Homes Pilot City through
the National Green and Healthy Homes Initiative.
The National Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning is leading the Green and
Healthy Homes Initiative project. With support from the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), the Coalition is currently providing technical assistance to 14 Green and Healthy
Homes Initiative (GHHI) project sites on the implementation of Green and Healthy
Homes programs.
In pilot sites, new public /private partnerships are established, focusing on the creation of
Green and Healthy Homes. These sites will inform the national agenda by generating
best practices and lessons learned in performing integrated green and healthy home
housing assessments and interventions.
GHHI is a public /private partnership that focuses on how a nation can repair and
improve housing in economically challenged communities. GHHI is leading a national
strategy to make sure all families and children live in homes that are healthy, safe,
energy efficiency and sustainable.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
MCVM:jh
f
Michael C. Van Milligen
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Mary Rose Corrigan, RN, Public Health Specialist
David Harris, Housing and Community Development Department Director
Cori Burbach, Sustainability Coordinator
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: Mic I C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: �'� - •s- Corrigan, RN, Public Health Specialist
SUBJECT: Green and Healthy Homes Initiative
DATE: November 8, 2010
Dubuque
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AU- AmedcaCity
1111 r
2007
INTRODUCTION
This memorandum requests the City submit a letter of commitment to become a Green
and Healthy Homes Pilot City through the National Green and Healthy Homes Initiative.
BACKGROUND
The National Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning is leading the Green and
Healthy Homes Initiative project. With support from the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), the Coalition is currently providing technical assistance to 14 Green and Healthy
Homes Initiative (GHHI) project sites on the implementation of Green and Healthy
Homes programs.
In pilot sites, new public /private partnerships are established, focusing on the creation of
Green and Healthy Homes. These sites will inform the national agenda by generating
best practices and lessons learned in performing integrated green and healthy home
housing assessments and interventions.
GHHI is a public /private partnership that focuses on how a nation can repair and
improve housing in economically challenged communities. GHHI is leading a national
strategy to make sure all families and children live in homes that are healthy, safe,
energy efficiency and sustainable.
DISCUSSION
The Green and Healthy Homes Initiative director has encouraged the City of Dubuque
to communicate our interest in becoming a Green and Healthy Homes Initiative Pilot
site. If selected, the National Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning will support
pilot sites in the following ways:
• Provide technical assistance to the Green and Healthy Homes sites — to aid in
project planning and design and to support their overall development of Green
and Healthy Homes work.
• Consult with sites on leveraging additional funding for GHHI work.
• Oversee a GHHI learning network, data platform, and comprehensive
assessment tool to allow sites to measure their progress, share data and
information and learn from each other.
• Provide best - practice recommendations, research and data on the project and
assist federal officials in developing a housing intervention model and a national
housing standard that combines weatherization, energy, efficiency, Healthy
Homes, and lead hazard reduction interventions into one integrated,
comprehensive approach.
Current GHHI Locations:
• Atlanta
• Baltimore
• Chicago
• Cleveland
• Denver
• Detroit
• Flint
• New Haven
• Oakland
• Philadelphia
• Providence
• San Antonio
• Cowlitz Indian Tribe in
Washington
• Spirit Lake Tribe in North Dakota
The Green and Healthy Homes Initiative would provide enhanced tools and practices for
implementing the Healthy Homes Production Program which a grant was submitted for
to HUD in November 2010. The Green and Healthy Homes Initiative will allow us to
broaden the Healthy Homes Production efforts to include sustainability and energy
efficiency, which is an overall goal of HUD.
REQUESTED ACTION
Authorize the Mayor to sign the attached letter for the City of Dubuque expressing
interest to become a Green and Healthy Homes Initiative community.
MRC /cj
cc: Cori Burbach, Sustainability Coordinator
David Harris, Housing and Community Development Department Manager
Teri Goodman, Assistant City Manager
Office of the Mayor
City Hall
50 West 13th Street
Dubuque, Iowa 52001 -4864
www.cityofdubuque.org
Ruth Ann Norton, Executive Director
National Green and Healthy Homes Initiative
2714 Hudson Street
Baltimore MD 21224
Dear Ms. Norton:
The City of Dubuque would welcome the opportunity to become a Green and Healthy
Homes Initiative Pilot City. The Green and Healthy Homes Initiative aligns with our
community- defined Sustainable Dubuque vision„ the Lead Hazard Control
Program /Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program and our plans to implement a
Healthy Homes Program.
Dubuque's sustainability vision is to create a viable, livable and equitable community
that embraces economic prosperity, social /cultural vibrancy and environmental integrity
to create a sustainable legacy for generations to come. The eleven sustainable
principles in our plan provide a solid framework to implement a Green and Healthy
Homes Program. Green buildings, Community Knowledge, Reasonable Mobility, Smart
Energy Use, Smart Resource Use and Community Design are elements that contribute
to a community which encourages green and healthy homes.
Building on a successful history of reducing the lead poisoning level in our youth from
14% to 3 %, the City's Housing and Community Development and Health Services
Departments recently applied to continue their Lead Paint Hazard Control Program and
to initiate a Healthy Homes Production Program through HUD for pilot and full Healthy
Homes Production Programs. These programs integrate Housing and Health activities,
along with community partners representing weatherization, health care, education,
philanthropy and energy efficiency, all working to eliminate environmental health
hazards and improve and reduce energy consumption. Of particular benefit to our
community would be the GHHI assistance to develop data systems and management,
providing coordination of the participating partners, along with key program evaluation
and monitoring.
The City of Dubuque and its local, regional, and federal partners have a history of
utilizing strong partnerships to achieve a more sustainable community for all of our
residents. Our goal is to identify our community's needs and address them in innovative
ways that have and will continue to make us a model for other communities across the
United States, particularly communities with populations under 200,000 where over 40%
of the population lives.
Service People Integrity Responsibility
Innovation Teamwork
November 8, 2010
Please consider the City of Dubuque as you embark on creating new Green and
Healthy Homes Initiative communities. Along with our many partners, we are poised to
collaborate with other communities and implement best practices that will provide a
long -term and sustainable method to build stable housing, especially for our low income
and vulnerable families.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Roy E. Buol, Mayor
City of Dubuque