Join the Healthy Housing Innovation Cohort
An RFP is now open for cities interested in joining a new technical assistance cohort. For those looking for more information about the opportunity and application process, an info session took place on Tuesday, June 25, watch the recording below.
Selected cities will receive:
- Access to NLC’s healthy housing experts
- Hands-on help from leading national data providers
- Support from a cohort of communities
- The chance to win $50,000
Watch the Info Session Recording
Addressing Health Hazards in Homes
Everyone deserves to live in a safe and healthy home but, unfortunately, health hazards are still common in homes across America. NLC’s Healthy Housing Local Action Challenge gives municipal leaders the tools to take advantage of investments through Housing and Urban Development, the American Rescue Plan Act, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to make generational changes in the health and homes of their residents.
The Healthy Housing Local Action Challenge helps cities focus on five key areas:
- Lead
- Asthma triggers
- Affordability
- Climate change
- Workforce capacity
When you take the Healthy Housing Local Action Challenge, you’ll receive support and tools to better mitigate housing health hazards for your residents. Plus, you’ll receive national recognition for your work.
Whether you’re already addressing your community’s healthy housing needs or are in the initial stages, when you accept the Local Action Challenge you’ll get:
- Support in the form of a structured framework to accelerate your work, plus peer learning, technical assistance and more
- Tools to identify needs, implement changes and evaluate the impact of reducing home-based health hazards such as lead and asthma triggers
- National recognition at every milestone along the way to becoming a Healthy Housing Change Agent
Use the form on this page to take the Healthy Housing Local Action Challenge and do your part to make sure your residents’ homes have a safe and healthy future.
How the Action Challenge Can Help Your Community
Action Area 1
IDENTIFY and ASSESS healthy housing needs.
- ACTION: Needs Assessor 1.0
Complete a healthy housing needs assessment to understand the current housing landscape and barriers to changing unhealthy housing conditions. - ACTION: Community Engager
Engage multilevel community stakeholders to assess existing resources and current gaps in healthy housing resources, policies and enforcement. - ACTION: Findings Disseminator
Identify a research or data partner to analyze city or neighborhood trends and disparities in health and housing outcomes. - ACTION: Support Identifier
Engage community leaders, agencies and organizations who serve underrepresented communities to collaborate or apply for grants or other funding.
Action Area 2
IMPLEMENT a policy, program or practice that improves healthy housing.
- ACTION: Advocate Identification
Identify and engage with city leadership or council members who prioritize housing or health issues to find an “advocate.” - ACTION: Commitment to Sustainable Solutions
Propose a policy, program or practice and garner input and shared support from stakeholders. - ACTION: Roadblocks and Consequences Identifier
Engage stakeholders and/or decision-makers to ascertain likely barriers and unintended consequences. - ACTION: Timeline and Goals Identified
Once there is shared agreement on the proposed policy program or practice, commit to the implementation approach. - ACTION: Tenant Community Outreach
Conduct tenant outreach to inform tenants of proposed changes and/or new policies, programs or practices and their current rights and resources.
Action Area 3
EVALUATE the impact of the implemented policy, program, or practice and SHARE that information with other cities interested in doing the same.
- ACTION: Accountability to Equity
Collaborate with stakeholders to determine the impact that the program, policy or practice has on improving health and racial equity. - ACTION: Evaluator
Utilize available data and resources to understand the effectiveness of the implemented healthy housing program, policy or practice. - ACTION: Needs Assessor 2.0
Assess current gaps and community needs after implementing a policy, program or practice. - ACTION: Teacher
Disseminate successes and lessons learned.
Share this brief overview with municipal leaders and encourage your town to Take the Challenge today!
Download the complete Healthy Housing Local Action Challenge Brief for in-depth information on the challenge framework.
Take the Healthy Housing Local Action Challenge
This initiative is made possible with the generous support of our technical assistance partners the National Center for Healthy Housing, Green & Healthy Homes Initiative, ChangeLab Solutions and our generous sponsors at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes.