HEALTHY HOMES PRODUCTION PROGRAM

Grant: Healthy Homes Production Program
Agency: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Division: Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control
Deadline: June 9, 2011. HUD may modify the due date for this notice to the extent a final appropriations bill for FY 2011 is enacted.

Description: The Healthy Homes Production Program is part of HUD’s overall Healthy Homes Initiative. The program takes a comprehensive approach to addressing multiple childhood diseases and injuries in a home and is part of HUD’s Healthy Homes Strategic Plan. The purpose of the Healthy Homes Production Program is to identify and correct significant housing-related health and safety hazards in privately owned, low-income rental or owner occupied housing.

HUD is especially interested in funding projects that integrate healthy homes principles and practices into existing housing rehabilitation, property maintenance, weatherization, energy efficiency improvements and other housing improvement programs.

Grants will be awarded to applicants that propose to accomplish 12 objectives, some of which include:

• Maximizing both the number of vulnerable residents protected from housing-related environmental health and safety hazards and the number of housing units where these hazards are controlled.
• Identifying and remediating significant housing-related health and safety hazards in housing where children and elderly in low-income and minority families reside and where housing-related health and safety hazards may contribute to illness, injury or other adverse health outcomes.
• Promoting cost-effective and efficient healthy home methods and approaches that can be replicated and sustained.
• Supporting public education and outreach that furthers the goal of protecting children and other vulnerable populations from housing-related health and safety hazards.
• Building local capacity to operate sustainable programs that will prevent and control housing-related environmental health and safety hazards in low- and very low-income residences and develop a professional workforce that is trained in healthy homes assessment and remediation principles.
• Promoting integration of this grant program with housing rehabilitation, property maintenance, weatherization, green and healthy homes initiatives, other lead-based paint hazard control programs, and energy efficience improvement activities and programs.
• Mobilizing public and private resources, involving cooperation among all levels of government, the private sector and grassroots community-based nonprofit organizations to develop the most promising, cost-effective methods for identifying and controlling key housing-related environmental health and safety hazards.
• Establishing a system or process that will facilitate remediated units to be affirmatively marketed to families with young children.

HUD considers it important for grantees to incorporate meaningful community participation, including from community-based foundations and philanthropic organizations, to the greatest extent possible, in the development and implementation of programs that are conducted in communities and/or involve significant interaction with community residents. Community participation that includes community-based foundations, philanthropic organizations and other community grassroots, nonprofit and faith-based organizations can improve project effectiveness in various ways, including the development of more salient program objectives, recruitment and retention of project participants, improving participants' understanding of the program, ensuring ongoing communication of residents and organizations within the community and more effective dissemination of project findings.

All applicants are encouraged to enter into formal arrangements with partners, such as community-based nonprofit organizations and faith-based or other community-based organizations. Such relationships must be established prior to the actual execution of an award or be contingent upon award, becoming effective within 60 days after award.

Fit for public broadcasting: This grant program encourages applicants to form partnerships within their communities, and because it specifically requires programs to support public education and outreach efforts about housing-related health issues, public broadcasting stations can be valuable partners. The program also allows for workforce development programs that train workers to eliminate housing health hazards. Stations with experience in job training can add expertise to those types of projects. Although this program is from HUD, the emphasis is on health. Stations that are planning health outreach projects may find that if they partner with other organizations, this program can provide funding.

Eligibility: States, Native American tribes, cities, counties/parishes or other units of local government are eligible to apply. Nonprofit organizations and academic institutions located in the U.S. are also eligible to apply. A minimum match of 10 percent of the federal funds requested is required for all applicants.

Anticipated funding: Based on the enactment of the FY 2011 HUD appropriations, approximately $13.3 million is available for this program, and approximately seven grants will be awarded. The period of performance is 36 months.

How to apply: Applications can be downloaded and must be submitted on Grants.gov. Online submission requires registration, a process that usually takes three to five business days but can take as long as four weeks. Be sure to visit Grants.gov and begin registering well in advance of the grant deadline.

Resources:
Program Notice
Program Website
Policy Requirements and General Section for HUD’s FY2011 Funding Announcements
Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control website
Healthy Homes program website