Healthy Homes Alliance

Many Alameda County residents are living in unhealthy homes which cause, exacerbate and accelerate environmental illnesses such as asthma and lead poisoning, as well as putting children and seniors at risk of injuries. The substandard housing in Alameda County disproportionately negatively impacts the health, comfort, and quality of life of vulnerable populations in particular.

The Alameda County Healthy Homes Alliance is a local forum of government agencies, community-based organizations, and businesses working together to develop and promote healthy housing practices and policies so that all residents have access to a healthy home. Through strategy development, analyses and partnerships, Alliance members aim to improve the health of Alameda County residents by focusing on the environmental and housing determinants of health and lessening health disparities.

In addition to advancing policy initiatives, alliance meetings serve as educational opportunities where a range of guest speakers are invited to present on various healthy homes topics.

Current alliance activities are supported by Kresge Foundation Advancing Safe and Healthy Homes Initiative (ASHHI).

The Alliance meets quarterly and conducts work through its three subcommittees:

Standard of Practice Committee
Proactive Code Enforcement Committee
Media Strategy Committee

These committees leverage the experience of its membership base to create meaningful local change through media messaging, development of a proactive code enforcement ordinance to improve the quality of rental housing, and establishing best practices, standards and protocols for healthy homes.

Standard of Practice Committee

This committee is establishing a clear set of standards for local healthy housing, through the work of six subject-matter working groups. The Energy and Weatherization, Integrated Pest Management, Safety, Contaminants, Cleaning and Maintenance, and Behavior and Community working groups each meet to discuss and determine the most effective healthy housing advice and best practices, based on their experience with local families and housing conditions and driven by sound science. The Committee will conclude with the creation of the Comprehensive Guide for Healthy Housing Practice, to be used by home visitors in myriad professions for the identification and resolution of behaviors and conditions negatively impacting the health and safety of residents.

Proactive Code Enforcement Committee

This committee advances the early detection and elimination of substandard housing conditions through creation of a well-researched, legally and politically viable proactive rental inspection program. Currently the Committee and its subcontractors are interviewing stakeholders, collecting their stories and experiences related to local ordinances, housing conditions and their effect on the health of occupants in addition to assessing key indicators pertaining to health, housing, and safety in the City of Oakland.

Media Strategy Committee

The media committee is engaged in the development of a media messaging and media advocacy plan to raise awareness of health-related housing deficiencies and build public support for the creation of a proactive code enforcement ordinance. The Committee identifies partners and resources for the implementation of the media plan, and develops communication strategies and tools that facilitate communication between Alliance members.

Alameda County Healthy Homes Alliance Membership

Oakland Elizabeth House
Oakland Housing Authority, Commissioners
People United for a Better Life in Oakland
Policy Link
Prescott-Joseph Center for Community Enhancement
Rebuilding Together Oakland
Regional Asthma Management and Prevention
Rising Sun Energy Center
Spectrum Community Services
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control
University of California, Berkeley

City Regional Planning Department

Urban Strategies Council
Wayne State University Center for Urban Studies
West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project

Alameda County Board of Supervisors
Alameda County Community Development Agency
- Neighborhood Preservation & Sustainability
- Housing and Community Development
- Healthy Homes Department
Alameda County Environmental Health Services
- Vector Control
Alameda County Public Health Department
- Place Matters
- Asthma Start
- Community Assessment, Planning, Education and Evaluation (CAPE)
- Emergency Services
American Lung Association in California
Association of Environmental Contractors
Build It Green
CA Department of Public Health
- Environmental Health Investigations Branch
- Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch

California Breathing Asthma Program
Causa Justa/Just Cause
Centro Legal de la Raza
ChangeLab Solutions
City of Alameda
City of Berkeley
- Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
- Planning & Development
City of Emeryville
City of Oakland
- Code Enforcement
Civicorps Schools
Communities for a Better Environment
Community Energy Service Corporation
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
East Bay Community Law Center
East Bay Housing Organizations
Energy Conservation Options
Habitat for Humanity East Bay
Healthy 880 Communities
Kaiser Permanente East Bay Area
- Public Affairs Department
La Clinica de la Raza
National Housing Law Project
Neighborhood Law Corps
Oakland Community Organizations

PLEASE JOIN US! If you are interested in becoming a member of the Alliance, please contact Lidice De La Fuente at 510-567-8291 or at Lidice.DeLaFuente@acgov.org