GRAND RAPIDS – A coalition of 24 community organizations presented a position paper to the Grand Rapids City Commission on September 27 calling for cooperation to address growing housing concerns as a result of the recent changes in the real estate market.
A new report prepared by the Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health, of which the Healthy Homes Coalition is a member, reports estimates the annual environmentally attributable costs of lead poisoning at $3.2 - $4.85 billion for Michigan residents.
Beginning April 22, all renovators, remodelers and painters working in pre-1978 housing are now required to be an EPA-certified renovator trained in lead safe work practices. This requirement applies to all renovation projects, not just lead abatement. Effected trades include remodelers, renovators, window replacement workers, painters, electricians, plumbers, and any other trades that disturb painted surfaces during the course of their work. Landlords who make repairs themselves are also required to have this certification.
The Healthy Homes Coalition will be hosting their Annual Meeting 4:30pm Thursday, August 5.
Get the Lead Out! and Healthy Homes are the cover story for the MiBiz Sustainability Report for this quarter.
National and Local Experts Urge Lead Poisoning Testing For Children.
50% of children in Grand Rapids are not being tested for lead poisoning at the critical ages of 1 and 2.
GRAND RAPIDS – The Grand Rapids Get The Lead Out! campaign has been successful on many fronts. The number of homes having lead based paint abated is increasing. Yet an alarming number of children are not being tested for lead poisoning at the critical ages of 1 and 2.
“In children, lead can cause nervous system and kidney damage, learning disabilities, speech, language problems, decreased muscle and bone growth and hearing damage,” said Joan Dyer-Zykowski, Kent County Health Department Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program Manager. "The majority of children lead poisoned in Grand Rapids are between one and two years old."
The City of Grand Rapids Get the Lead Out! program is offering free lead training for professionals seeking to enter the lead hazard control, abatement and assessment fields. This is an opportunity for small business owners from the affected communities to receive free training to make them eligible for lead hazard control work funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The Healthy Homes Coalition is partnering with Home Repair Services to provide a Lead Safe Painting and Home Repair workshop for do-it-yourself home owners interested in making home repairs in a lead-safe fashion.
The Detroit Free Press published an indepth article on Sunday, May 16 that looks at the link between lead and learning. The article features a look at children's blood lead levels relative to their performance on MEAP scores later in life.
The US-EPA has launched a portal on its website where homeowners can find contractors who have been trained and certified in how to safely make repairs so that children are not exposed to lead hazards. The searchable database can be accessed by clicking here.
Come learn how the healthy Homes Coalition helps parents protect children from environmental health hazards in the home by joining us for a Building Healthy Homes Tour. These brief lunch hour or end of the day tours are a wonderful chance for you to hear some real stories about the work that we do at Healthy Homes.
Reserve your space today by calling (616) 241-3300 or emailing us.
Click on the title above to learn more and to see other future tour dates for summer 2010!
The Healthy Homes Coalition was recently awarded $26,248 in FEMA funding to make sure families with children have working carbon monoxide and smoke detectors in their homes. This award will allow Healthy Homes to serve 400 families!
Paul received his BA from Calvin College in 1987, majoring in Communications and Philosophy. He also has a post-baccalaureate degree in Secondary Education, English minor. Before working in the healthy homes field, Paul was a community organizer in Grand Rapids. Afterwards, he took a six month sabbatical and walked from Georgia to Maine, and now he relieves his stress in the summer months by tending a 2,000 square foot veggie garden.
Courtney is a 2006 graduate from Aquinas College, where she studied Environmental Studies and Spanish. She enjoys reading, spending time outdoors and being a mom to her adorable and very active daughter, Tanis Keaton.
Kelly Malinowski is a recent GVSU graduate with a BA in French and a minor in International Relations. Though a Detroit native, Kelly is proud to call Grand Rapids her home. She has spent several months abroad in Paris and has an undying love of French culture. In the past she has organized for environmental and social justice issues and loves working with the community. Currently, she recruits families for the Get The Lead Out! program, and chooses leady bear as her favorite co-worker. It's hard for her to go through a day without dancing.
James Ayers owns too many the perfect number of books. Aside from his more scholarly pursuits, he has been known to enjoy chess and classical music. James grew up in Kentwood and now lives in Heritage Hill. Since serving as a part of the original CLEARCorps team in 2002, he has held a number of titles including: ballroom dance instructor, cab driver, massage therapist, and cable technician. After seeing much of the United States from 2007 to 2008 he can say with certainty that Grand Rapids is home and he is proud to once again be serving the community.
Jennifer Peterson, CLEARCorps Member
Jenn graduated from GVSU with a BA in Spanish and photography, and spent 10 weeks living in Chile, where she photographed and wrote her own documentary - Para Arriba y Para Abajo (Up and Down). She has a severe adiction to coffee and photoshop and is the pied piper of cockroachdom.
Mitch graduated from Union High School and has an interest in politics. He hopes to follow in the footsteps of Barack Obama.
Lauren recently completed her MSW in Organizational and Community Practice at Michigan State. Prior to studying at MSU, she lived in Grand Rapids where she attended Calvin College and worked as a program evaluator. A life-long Michigander, she loves to travel to (more) exotic places such as India, Honduras, and Yellowstone.
Making sure children grow up in homes that are healthy and safe is everyone’s job! The Healthy Homes Coalition is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Learn more about specific ways you can help protect children. Connect with us today!
742 Franklin St. SE // Grand Rapids, MI 49507 // 616.241.3300 p // 616.241.3327 f // info@healthyhomescoalition.org
Special thanks to the Dyer-Ives Foundation for their generous support of this website. © 2006-2010 Healthy Homes Coalition.
