SERI

1. Healthy Homes Rating System as a Tool to Assess and Guide Housing Investment Strategies in the Community Aminata P. Kilungo, Ph.D. Sonora Environmental Research Institute, Inc.

2. SERI • Is a community based, non-profit organization • Work predominantly in Hispanic, low-income community, with limited English proficiency • Main focus is to improve environmental health and quality of life byproviding resources and education

3. SERI • SERI partners with other agencies to leverage funds so as to provide resources to the community • City of Tucson Lead Hazard Control Program • Tucson Fire Department • El Rio Community Health Center • Community Outreach Program of the Deaf • Community Home Repair Project of Arizona • Primera Iglesia Bautista Kairos

4. SERI’S Healthy Homes Risk Assessment Tool • Developed an iPad version of the Healthy Homes Risk Assessment (HHRS) • Developed questions to address relevant matters affecting likelihood and outcome for each hazard e.g. excess heat • Thermal insulation: adequate or inadequate • Ventilation control: inadequate, lack of system or control devices

5. SERI’S Healthy Homes Risk Assessment Tool • Additional question were formulated to address “the inadequacy” of the relevant matter • Type, size and condition • Also added relevant matter questions to the southwest • Construction material • Width of exterior wall • Reflective roof coating

6. Data Collection Relevant Matters Affecting the Likelihood and Outcome for Bathroom Falls

7. Data Collection • Condition of one relevant factor may also affect other hazards e.g. broken windows may affect excess heat, excess cold, entry by intruder, domestic hygiene and pests

8. Data Collection Forms in the SERI HHRS Tools

9. Data Collection Forms in the SERI HHRS Tools

10. A Complete Hazard Evaluation for Home ID 913

11. How to Use HHRS to Assess and Guide Housing Investment Strategies in the Community

12. Use of HHRS • Assess housing conditions in our community and identify trends • Show housing conditions in different age groups and different income • Gather information to understand housing deficiencies and need • Strategize allocation of funding to complement our programs and our partners’

13. Use of HHRS Housing Conditions by Income 13% of the population had smoke alarms and < 1% had CO alarms

14. Use of HHRS • Identified lack of smoke alarms in the community • Through FEMA and Tucson Fire Department partnership; 15,000 smoke alarms have been installed in 3,500 homes Previously only 13% of homes had smoke alarms

15. Use of HHRS • Information gathered showed need for low-cost cooling alternatives • Planted shade trees given out and are working with Arizona Forestry Division to reduce heat island effects • White roof coating also provides cooling • Provided roof coating for homes where roofs were repaired

16. Use of HRRS • Information gathered highlight a broader issue within our community • Large population of mobile homes and in poor living conditions • There are 44,000 mobile homes in 430 parks • Most of the mobile homes have plumbing and electrical problems, in addition to other hazardous living conditions

17. Future Use of HHRS • Data collected will be used to develop statistics for a previous community mapping project • Develop stand alone version of HHRS for the local fire departments risk inspection • Obtain fire and medical calls from Fire Department to correlate housing deficiencies with health outcomes

18. Conclusion • SERI has used the HRRS to paint a clear picture of the housing condition in our community • HHRS can be used by policy makers towards prioritizing and improving housing conditions • Further development of HRRS to tie housing conditions and health will allow prediction of health outcomes and help prioritize interventions