Join the Healthy Homes Team!
The Healthy Homes Coalition is hiring. We are expanding our direct services program and are looking for applicants who are bilingual (Spanish/English) and have a passion for kids, community, and environmental justice.
The Healthy Homes Coalition is a proud partner of the Get the Lead Out! program. More than 1,350 homes have had lead hazards abated through this financial assistance program. Click here to learn more.
News & Events
Don't Be Too Cool For School
Guest Blogger Megan Kretz of the Kent Country Department of Public Works shares her tips for keeping kids safe this summer.
Direct Services Program Manager Jenn Spiller Accepts Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Fellowship
Jenn has accomplished many exciting things since starting with Healthy Homes in 2011, but she’s outdone herself this time. This spring, she’s been accepted as a fellow at the prestigious Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, pursuing a Masters in Public Health, focusing on environmental challenges.
Healthy Homes
Coalition of West Michigan
Our mission is to improve children's health and wellbeing by eliminating harmful housing conditions. We achieve that mission through policy and advocacy, outreach and education, direct services, and continuous collaboration.
The Issues:
Lead in Water
In west Michigan, lead in drinking water is rarely identified as the primary route of exposure for children with elevated blood lead levels. While lead exposure through drinking water is possible, EPA-mandated testing results for west Michigan communities consistently report that the lead content in municipal water supplies is below EPA guidelines. In Grand Rapids, the most recent testing results available (2013) report lead levels at an all-time low in Grand Rapids' water.
Recognizing that there have been no major changes to local water programs in west Michigan, the Healthy Homes Coalition's primary concerns with lead in water arise when there is construction activity involving the water system. Most notably, the partial replacement of lead service lines (the line between the street and the home) have proven problematic.