Fight for Healthy Homes

We need you.

What does a child need to succeed in life?

A caring family.

A good education.

Excellent healthcare and nutrition.

Are we missing anything?

What about a healthy home?

The home is where a child spends the first five years

of his or her life.

But most people don’t think of the home as having an

impact on a child’s health.

Many people are unsuspecting victims of medical problems caused by conditions in their houses ...THE FEDERAL INTERAGENCY HEALTHY HOMES WORK GROUP

When you think of an unhealthy home,

what do you think of?

Leaking roofs, moisture, mold

Damp basements,

mold

Moisture, mold, fungi growing under a sink

Tobacco smoke

Rodents

Mice living in a child’s mattress

Cockroaches

Moisture, mold, poor indoor air quality and pests can trigger

allergies and asthma.

With asthma, it’s hard to breathe.

In fact, it's the No. 1 reason kids chronically miss school and parents miss work.

Asthma is the leading cause of

emergency room visits at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.

Flaking lead paint and dust

Flaking lead paint and dust outdoors

Lead hazards where children play

Flaking, deteriorating lead paint produces the dust that can cause lead poisoning.

Lead poisoning causes brain damage

and stunts growth. It causes social, behavioral

and learning disabilities. It can cause death.

The number of children in Kent County with lead poisoning is more than twice the national rate.

Toxic products within children’s reach

Rat poison found near children’s toys

Carbon monoxide exhaust escaping into the house

Unvented appliances – a source of carbon monoxide

Accidental poisoning by household products,

pesticides, carbon monoxide and radon cause serious

health issues such as cancer … and even death.

Unprotected window at floor level

Exposed electrical wiring

An open hole in a kitchen floor

Scalding water

Unsafe conditions can cause burns, falls and other injuries –

which can lead to permanent health problems … and even death.

2013 American Journal of Preventive Medicine

The breakdown:

9% Fire & Burns

43% Falls

34% Poisoning

5% Other1% Firearms

3% Drowning

5% Choking & Suffocation

Thousands of children each year are hospitalized in our area because of injuries in the home.

These are homes in our community where children live.

And these conditions are 100 percent preventable.

They can affect anybody, but not everybody has theresources to address

them.

We’ve achieved a lot since 2006:

Safety for kids Solutions for families Advocacy for change

But there’s more to do.

One in four young children in Kent County lives in poverty.

1 in 4CHILDREN

80 percent of the families we serve live at or below the

federal poverty level.

80% ofFAMILIES

$8,000to treat a child

with lead poisoning.

$8,000to remove lead from a home so kids don’t get sick in the

first place.

OR

Which would you choose?

Most “fixes” are simple and inexpensive.

Families want our help.

But they’re NOT looking for a handout.

They are our neighbors, employees, friends … they

are our partners.

We can partner with them, and with property owners, to

prevent problems from occurring in the first place.

Fixing homes is preventive medicine.

Reactive v. Proactive.What we spend now saves

so much later.

Saving lives is the greatest “ROI.”

Lives such as…

Nyicear

KyleeLa’Nieyah

Darion

A caring family.

A good education.

Excellent healthcare and nutrition.

And, from the start, a healthy home.

What does a child need?

Understand the issues.

Make healthy homes a priority.

Work with us to partner, provide opportunity.

We need your help:

Fight for Healthy Homes

We need you to