7/18/2012
Media Contacts:
Laura Moreno-Hill, 443-539-4160 or lmorenohill@nchh.org
Phillip Dodge, 443-539-4168 or pdodge@nchh.org
Rebecca Morley, 703-868-0554 or rmorley@nchh.org
NCHH grassroots advocacy network improves housing conditions U.S. neighborhoods
Columbia, MD (July 18, 2012) – Today, the National Center for Healthy Housing announced five new awardees of its Grassroots Advocacy Network for Healthy Housing (Advocacy Network) program.
The grants help community-based organizations (CBOs) address the problem of substandard housing and neighborhoods. “CBOs are at the epicenter of policy action and change. In just one year, the Advocacy Network has made major impact. We are honored to help seed these efforts,” said Rebecca Morley, Executive Director of NCHH.
The grants announced today will go to the following organizations:
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Granite State Organizing Project – Manchester/Nashua, NH
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People United for Sustainable Housing, Inc. (PUSH) – Buffalo, NY
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Safer Pest Control Project – Chicago, IL
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SRO Families United Collaborative – San Francisco, CA
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Ohio Healthy Home Network – Columbus, OH
Click here for a description of their projects.
The new grants bring the total network to 13 organizations. NCHH will provide the grantees with technical assistance, leadership development, training, and peer networking opportunities.
Grassroots organizations may use the grants to accomplish the following:
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Help create local demand for healthy housing through media outreach, policy advocacy, community meetings, and other activities;
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Educate policymakers and the public about unhealthy conditions;
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Hold public agencies accountable; and
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Create and sustain valuable collaboration between the public and private sectors and within government.
The program has received funding from The Kresge Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the Saint Luke’s Foundation of Cleveland, Ohio. “Health is determined, in large part, by where a person lives," said David Fukuzawa, program director for The Kresge Foundation. "We are pleased to continue our partnership with NCHH and the Grassroots Advocacy Network to develop local solutions to the challenging problem of substandard housing and neighborhoods.”
In 2011, NCHH awarded grants to eight small community-based organizations: the Metropolitan Tenants Organization (Chicago, IL), the Visible Community (Lewiston, ME), Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan (Grand Rapids, MI), the Childhood Lead Action Project (Providence, RI), Tenants Union of Washington (Seattle, WA), the L.A. Community Legal and Educational Center (Huntington Park, CA), St. Louis Lead Prevention Coalition (St. Louis, MO), and Greensboro Housing Coalition (Greensboro, NC).
Learn more about NCHH and the Advocacy Network.
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The National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) is the only national scientific and technical nonprofit organization dedicated to creating healthy and safe homes for America’s children through practical and proven steps. NCHH develops scientifically valid and practical strategies to make homes safe from hazards, to alert low-income families about housing-related health risks, and to help them protect their children. More information is available at www.nchh.org.
The Kresge Foundation is a national, private foundation that seeks to influence the quality of life for future generations by creating access and opportunity in underserved communities, improving the health of low-income people, supporting artistic expression, assisting in the revitalization of Detroit, and advancing methods for dealing with global climate change. More information is available at www.kresge.org.
Saint Luke’s Foundation of Cleveland, Ohio is a community-based private foundation that supports the efforts of nonprofit organizations and community leaders to address relevant issues and offer sustainable solutions to key issues affecting the health and well-being of individuals, families and urban communities. Since 1997, the Foundation has awarded more than $91 million in grants. More information is available at www.saintlukesfoundation.org.