Dr. Michael Caldwell For the Poughkeepsie Journal
I was traveling through Poughkeepsie recently and was so dismayed to see the vast number of abandoned and burned-out homes. It is important we continue to do all we can to remove these dangerous structures and foster safer and healthier communities. How can we allow these structures to continue to demoralize our neighbors?
It is time for a greater focus on healthy places and healthy homes. I am thankful for so many of you who work to improve the strength of our families and our housing infrastructure. Healthy homes are vital to our sense of well-being, our physical health and the overall health of our community.
We want everyone to live in safe, decent and sanitary housing. This is the best way to avoid risks and to prevent disease and injury. Healthy housing is recognized as a major public health concern. There is a strong connection between health outcomes such as asthma, lead poisoning and unintentional injuries. It is estimated there are more than 6 million substandard housing units nationwide. Healthier housing promotes the healthy growth and development of children. It will also save many billions of dollars in health-care costs through prevention.
Dr. James Krieger of the University of Washington encourages our local public health departments to take leadership and to employ multiple strategies to improve housing, such as developing and enforcing housing guidelines and codes, implementing “Healthy Homes” programs to improve indoor environmental quality, assessing housing conditions and advocating for healthy, affordable housing. Housing is an important determinant of health. Substandard housing is a major public health issue. Each year in the United States, 13.5 million nonfatal injuries occur in and around the home, 2,900 people die in house fires and 2 million people make emergency room visits for asthma. One million young children in the United States have blood lead levels high enough to adversely affect their intelligence, behavior and development. Two million Americans occupy homes with severe physical problems and an additional 4.8 million live in homes with moderate problems.
A culture of health
The CDC notes that a healthy home is designed, built and maintained to support health. A healthy homes approach is a coordinated and holistic approach to preventing diseases and injuries that result from housing-related hazards and deficiencies. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has been promoting “A Culture of Health.” They believe that our built environment — where we live, learn, work and play — is critical to the health of our community. Health-promoting environments should be safe, affordable and provide access to exercise and nutritious food. We all deserve to feel safe in our neighborhoods. This will allow us to take full advantage of the space around us.
Habitat for Humanity
I’ve been so impressed with the recent success of our Dutchess County Habitat for Humanity led by Executive Director Maureen Brennan Lashlee. Habitat for Humanity seeks to break the cycle of poverty by working in partnership with low-income families to create simple, decent and affordable housing. Habitat selects partner families with incomes between 30 and 60 percent of the area median income. Partner families then purchase their Habitat homes with a zero percent interest mortgage and invest between 200 and 500 sweat equity hours to help build their homes.
Habitat believes that home ownership is a crucial foundation for helping low-income families find a path out of poverty. When they move out of substandard housing and into simple, decent, affordable homes, homeowners and their families frequently improve their health, educational attainment, safety and personal wealth. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development says studies have shown that “homeowners accumulate wealth as the investment in their homes grows, enjoy better living conditions, are often more involved in their communities and have children who tend on average to do better in school and are less likely to become involved with crime.”
ReStore Habitat
Habitat for Humanity of Dutchess ReStore opened up this past June. They sell used furniture, hardware and household items to benefit Habitat for Humanity’s mission to build homes for working poor in the community. It is at the former Walgreens building at 625 Dutchess Turnpike in the Dutchess Center plaza off Route 44; http://hfh-ny-dutc.huterra.com/shoprestore
It is a special and unique setting and it is filled with the community spirit that has become a hallmark of Dutchess County. Lashlee said, “We are excited to be entering into a new phase for Habitat for Humanity here in Dutchess County. With the resources that ReStore will provide, we plan to build and create even more strength, stability and self-reliance in the upcoming years.” When you have furniture or building materials that you no longer need, keep the Habitat ReStore in mind.
A healthy home is an essential component for a healthy community. Dutchess County has tremendous challenges yet it is matched with our exceptional dedicated community services and volunteers. We need all the help we can get, so please consider contributing to improving the health of our housing and giving a call to Habitat of Humanity today at 845-475-9336. We all would appreciate your spare hands.
Dr. Michael Caldwell is the former Dutchess County Commissioner of Health. Send comments tohealthchief@yahoo.com; Twitter: @healthchief
This article was originally published by the Poughkeepsie Journal on October 7, 2016. This is the original link: https://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/news/health/2016/10/07/health-homes/91732868/
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