Healthy Housing in the News

SUBSTANDARD HOUSING conditions have been linked to higher rates of infectious disease, chronic illnesses and injuries, but millions of low-income Americans have little choice about where they live. Remedying housing deficiencies – such as water leaks, dirty carpets, pest infestations, lead residue, poor ventilation and broken staircases and windows – can significantly improve health, help people out of poverty and drive savings by reducing medical costs and stabilizing families, says Ruth Ann Norton, CEO and president of the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative, a Baltimore-based nonprofit.

Chanelle Mattocks remembers everything about that night in 2014, when lead poisoned her son. She was giving Alonzo, then 3, a bath in a tub that her landlord had just painted to pass a housing inspection. She turned to find a washcloth, and when she swiveled back, she found the boy with bits of peeling paint in his mouth. She tried get it out, but it was too late.