Green and Health Homes InitiativeMasterpiece 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: June 2, 2011
Dubuque
kittil
AU-America City
1 I
2007
Public Health Specialist Mary Rose Corrigan and Housing and Community
Development Department Director David Harris recommend City Council approval to
execute a compact to become a Green and Healthy Homes Pilot City through the
National Green and Healthy Homes Initiative.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
/r 2
e l C. Van Milligen
g en
MCVM:jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Mary Rose Corrigan, RN, Public Health Specialist
David Harris, Housing & Community Development Department Director
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TO:
FROM:
Michael C. Van Milligen i anager
Mary Rose rriganM , Pub is ealth Specialist
David Harri ousing & Community Development Department Manager
1
SUBJECT: Green and Healthy Homes Initiative
DATE: June 2, 2011
Dubuque
All-America CNy
2007
INTRODUCTION
This memorandum requests the City sign a compact 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 to implement 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 efficient and sustainable. Last November, the City sent a letter to the National
Green and Healthy Homes Initiative, signed by the Mayor, expressing our interest in
becoming a GHHI community.
On March 31, 2011, the first meeting to initiate GHHI locally and form the Green and
Healthy Homes Collaborative, was organized and facilitated by the Community
Foundation of Greater Dubuque. City staff, along with partners from Alliant, Black Hills,
Operation New View, VNA and NICC participated. A second workshop will be held
June 9, 2011 to continue the process for creating the collaborative and preparing for
GHHI.
DISCUSSION
The Green and Healthy Homes Initiative director, Ruth Ann Norton, encouraged the City
of Dubuque to become a Green and Healthy Homes Initiative Pilot site and participated
in our initial Green and Healthy Homes Collaborative meeting with local stakeholders in
March. 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, utilizing a 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, "household -
centric" 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 grant received earlier this year.
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 compact for the City of Dubuque 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
ii Green & Healthy Homes Initiative
Green & Healthy Homes Initiative
Compact for the
City of Dubuque
Draft 3/3 0/1 1
Preamble
We, the undersigned, agree to direct our efforts toward aligning, braiding, and
coordinating home interventions in the spirit of the Green and Healthy Homes Initiative
(GHHI) goal of making homes healthy, safe, and sustainable. We pledge to work
together to realize our belief that the Green and Healthy Homes Initiative will produce
healthier, more energy efficient housing, higher quality green jobs, and improved health
and social outcomes for families. GHHI is working to inform the Federal Healthy Homes
Work Group, national partners, and state and local agencies in the development of a
national green and healthy housing standard. The initiative strives to actively engage
local government and non - governmental partners in each of the communities that are
already conducting work related to green and healthy homes interventions. We believe
that GHHI is an opportunity to improve our communities and the lives of those living
within them by coordinating physical interventions to address home based health and
safety hazards and energy deficiencies, resulting in:
• improved energy efficiency for low and moderate income families
• better health outcomes for our children, seniors and families
• more efficient use of public investment through improved interagency
coordination
• higher quality green jobs
• reduced barriers to school attendance and work among families with young
children
• support for neighborhood stabilization through more effective and sustainable
home investments
We acknowledge that we must work collaboratively and in close partnership to advance
this initiative on behalf of the families we serve. Thus, we commit ourselves, our
organizations, and our resources to work in partnership to achieve the goals and
principles set out in this GHHI Compact, always recognizing and respecting the diversity
of interests and perspectives that will inform and sustain our City of Dubuque Initiative.
While we have agreed to the goals and principles, the implementation strategies will
require further discussion, planning and negotiation, including among agencies with legal
or regulatory authority at the local level. This Compact may be incorporated into
contracts, memorandums of understanding, and other agreements as part of the
implementation effort. It will be the responsibility of all of the parties acting in good faith
to see that the work of the initiative is consistent with the agreed upon common goals and
principles.
6/2/11 2
[Suggested and Types of Lead Signatories]
Michael C Van Milligen Alliant Energy
City Manager
David Harris
Housing & Community Development
Department
Tom Stovall
Operation New View
Wendy Knight
Northeast Iowa Community College
Nancy Van Milligen
Community Foundation of Greater
Dubuque
Black Hills Energy
Mary Rose Corrigan Cori Burbach
Health Services Department Office of Sustainability
Angela Petche
Washington Neighborhood
Development Corporation
6/2/11 3
List additional partners
Suggested Additional GHHI Participating Organizations
6/2/11 4
Table of Contents
I. The Green and Healthy Homes Initiative
II. A Green and Healthy Home
III. City of Dubuque's Commitment to the Green and Healthy Homes Initiative
A. Collaboration
B. Assessments and Interventions
C. Resources Leveraging
D. Affiliation with National GHHI Efforts
1. The Development of National GHHI Model Programs and National Housing
Standards
2. Participating with GHHI National Network
E. Job Creation and Workforce Development
1. Training
2. Hiring
F. Education and Sustainability
6/2/11 5
I. The Green and Healthy Homes Initiative
The Green and Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) is designed as a comprehensive
approach to offer integrated health, safety, lead hazard reduction, energy efficiency, and
weatherization interventions in low to moderate income homes. GHHI was designed by
the National Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning (Coalition) to aid the White
House and the Council on Foundation's efforts to capitalize on increased investment in
energy efficiency and weatherization.
GHHI maximizes public and philanthropic investments for 5 major benefits:
• Government innovation in service delivery
• Development of sustainable community -based "green collar" jobs and social
enterprise
• Creation of stable and sustainable green and healthy homes in low and moderate
income neighborhoods
• Measurable improvements in health outcomes for children, seniors, and families
• Wealth retention and improved property values
In 2010, with support from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded the Coalition a
contract to support fifteen Pilot Project sites nationally on the effort to change system
processes and align, braid, and coordinate assets and resources to produce Green and
Healthy Homes. The initiative partners, including philanthropy, the Federal Healthy
Homes Work Group, HUD, CDC, the Department of Energy (DOE), and the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), will serve to inform the national agenda by
generating best practices and lessons learned in the area of integrated green and healthy
housing assessment and interventions.
Initial Green and Healthy Homes Initiative Sites
• Atlanta, GA Detroit, MI
• Flint, MI San Antonio, TX
• Baltimore, MD Providence, RI
• Buffalo, NY Oakland, CA
• Chicago, IL Denver, CO
• New Haven, CT Cowlitz Tribe, WA
• Cleveland, OH Spirit Lake Nation, ND
• Philadelphia, PA
Ultimately, the goal of GHHI is to support the development of Green and Healthy Homes
Standards for all housing intervention programs and to efficiently leverage health into
investments in areas such as weatherization and energy efficiency.
6/2/11 6
II. A Green and Healthy Home
A green and healthy home is one that consumes less water and energy, produces less
waste, and does not contain health or safety threats. A GHHI home maximizes the
benefits of each individual home improvement and in many different ways supports the
well -being of the people living there. The elements below are detailed in a separate
attachment covering Green and Healthy Standards and Practices.'
• Clean
• Dry
• Safe
• Well - Ventilated
• Pest -Free
• Contaminant -Free
• Free from Lead Hazards
• Energy Efficient
• Sufficiently Weatherized
• Residents Equipped to Sustain and Maintain a Healthy and Efficient Home
III. City of Dubuque's Commitment to the Green and Healthy Homes Initiative
A. Collaboration. The goals and principles in this document are the result of a
collaborative process. Likewise, the responsibility for implementing these goals
and principles will require a partnership of many parties, including the Mayor's
Office, the County Executive's office, city and county departments, state and
federal agency partners, non - profits, foundations, community organizations,
private companies, and communities throughout the city. Without this partnership,
neither GHHI nor the community benefits envisioned by this Compact will be
fully realized.
• Partners agree to work together to establish an effective collaborative structure
and streamline the housing assessment and intervention processes
• The GHHI Learning Network in will be made up of agencies,
organizations, and companies listed as signatories and additional partners in
this Compact, and will meet on at least a quarterly basis
• Partners agree to support the coordination of housing intervention efforts and
will work to remove barriers to integration among city and state agencies and
private partner stakeholders
• Partners agree to support efforts to share data and applicable information, and
develop common metrics
1 The attachment Green and Healthy Homes Standards and Practices provides the full detailed list.
6/2/11 7
B. Assessments and Interventions
GHHI Dubuque will participate in the following work, where applicable:
• Conduct comprehensive housing assessments and interventions, integrating
the areas of lead hazard reduction, Healthy Homes, weatherization, energy
efficiency, and related work
• Partners agree to support working with the GHHI national technical assistance
team on a work plan that outlines activities, benchmarks, and a timeline for
how the work above will be performed, and identifies the role of each partner
and how they will contribute to the local effort
• Partners agree to support the use of comprehensive assessment tools to assess
multiple home -based health hazards and energy efficiency issues
• Partners agree to support aligning program and income eligibility
requirements where possible
• Partners agree to target and prioritize interventions to properties with
vulnerable populations such as young children, pregnant women, seniors, or
people with disabilities, when applicable to program funding
• Partners agree to work to replace stand -alone programs (weatherization, lead
hazard control, fire safety, etc.) where appropriate with a comprehensive
strategy that integrates resources, reduces redundancies, and leverages
multiple interventions in a single home
C. Resources Leveraging
• Partners agree to align programs, braid funds, and coordinate agencies to the
greatest extent feasible and allowed by law or regulation
• Partners agree to leverage public and private resources to conduct
comprehensive GHHI interventions when appropriate and allowed under
program requirements
D. Affiliation with National GHHI Efforts
1. The development of National GHHI Model Programs and Housing
Standards
• Partners agree to support the establishment of enhanced national, state and
local housing standards that implement a holistic housing approach
through comprehensive environmental assessments and integrated
interventions in the areas of: lead hazard reduction, Healthy Homes,
weatherization, and energy efficiency
• Partners agree to support the development of model GHHI Programs that
create feasible housing assessment and intervention programs for low and
middle income communities
2. Participating with GHHI National Network
6/2/11 8
• Partners agree to inform the Federal Healthy Homes Work Group in
barriers, recommendations, and best practices coming out of this work
• Partners agree to participate in National GHHI meetings, webinars, and
trainings, as appropriate
• Partners agree to share success stories and best practices to be highlighted
on the GHHI Ning communication site and in the annual report
• Partners agree to provide data, if applicable, including but not limited to
unit production, energy and health outcomes, and workforce outcomes, as
appropriate, to a national GHHI data platform
• Partners agree to help provide information for the purposes of evaluating
GHHI efforts
E. Job Creation and Workforce Development
Partners agree to use Green and Healthy Homes Initiative as a model for breaking
down barriers to full employment for unemployed and underemployed low
income residents and promoting equity through training and employment efforts.
1. Training
• Partners agree to support, where possible, varied training programs to
provide skill training and actual certifications and accreditations in green
trades Green Jobs Training and Certifications such as:
o Weatherization Tactics Training
o Energy Audit Training
o Certified lead contractor, worker and renovator, remodeling and
painting (RRP)
o Healthy Homes Practitioner
o General workforce skills such as computer skills, customer services
skills, and business skills
• Partners agree to support the cross - training of Healthy Homes Related
Inspectors and Contractors to increase and broaden their skills and enable
flexibility in employment opportunities.
• Partners agree to support organizations' efforts to target applicable
training funds and employment stipends to persons with barriers to
employment such as long standing unemployment or underemployment or
criminal history
• Partners agree to provide on the job training in green trade skills to
enhance the skill level of participants and improve their competitiveness in
the marketplace
2. Hiring
2 Specific metrics and data to be collected will be contained in a separate document.
6/2/11 9
• Partners agree to adhere to Section 3 Requirements, where applicable
• Partners agree to support and maintain pathways to higher salaried jobs for
low income residents from at risk communities
• Partners agree to support and provide for services to maintain drug free
work places
• Partners agree to support providing employment stipends to help
participants obtain employment
• Partners agree to support efforts to:
o Provide opportunities for and outreach to people with a criminal
history who are determined to direct their efforts to obtaining and
retaining full employment
o Provide on the job training for residents with criminal records as part
of GHHI employment initiatives;
o Mandate that contractors conducting GHHI interventions stipulate in
their contracts benchmarks for the hiring of low - income community -
based residents
F. Education and Sustainability
• Agree to support education of clients and behavioral changes that will
enhance the long term effectiveness of interventions
• Agree to provide directions on how clients can sustain and maintain the
improvements from the provided investments
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