New Initiative Makes Healthier Housing Affordable

WASHINGTON, DC, September 29, 2004 (ENS) – Environmentally related childhood diseases, such as asthma, lead poisoning and cancer, cost the United States nearly $55 billion annually. More than 2.5 million families live in substandard housing that is a springboard for these diseases.

The solution is affordable housing that is environmentally friendly, and on Tuesday, the Green Communities Initiative was launched to supply more than 8,500 healthier homes.

The initiative will offer financing, grants and technical assistance to developers to build affordable housing that promotes health, conserves energy and natural resources and provides easy access to jobs, schools and services.

The five-year, $550 million commitment is a partnership of The Enterprise Foundation/Enterprise Social Investment Corporation (ESIC) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), along with the American Institute of Architects, the American Planning Association, as well as corporate, financial and philanthropic organizations.

Five million dollars will be awarded as grants to assist in planning, designing and building Green Communities homes. Fifty million will go to low interest loans to enable developers to acquire sites and start construction. And $500 million will be used for equity investments to fund rehabilitation and construction through ESIC.

“Too many Americans live in unhealthy, inefficient and poorly sited housing that hinders them from reaching their full potential,” said Bart Harvey, chairman and CEO of The Enterprise Foundation and chairman of ESIC.

“Enterprise and NRDC have forged an unprecedented alliance of housing, health and environmental organizations – supported by visionary corporate institutions and foundations – to ensure smarter, healthier homes are available to Americans with limited incomes,” he said.

“We will assist developers that are already building green housing and encourage hundreds more to come on board,” said Patricia Bauman, vice chair of NRDC’s Board of Trustees. “Our project will make thousands of affordable green developments bloom.”

The initiative will provide or help arrange technical assistance and training with experienced consultants. Planning activities for green projects such as initial architectural, engineering and environmental reviews will be funded.

In addition, the Green Communities Initiative will encourage government agencies to make their affordable housing programs healthier. The partners will work with state agencies to dedicate part of their federal housing tax credits to healthy, energy-efficient affordable housing sited near public transportation to avoid the unhealthy and expensive consequences of sprawl.

“For many families, asthma, injuries and lead poisoning are just symptoms of the underlying problem,” said Dr. Megan Sandel, an expert on housing’s impact on children’s health at the Boston University School of Medicine. “Inadequate housing is the real disease. Safe, decent affordable housing is the best preventive medicine low-income families can get.”

The U.S. Green Building Council supports the Green Communities Initiative. Partners include: Bank of America, Blue Moon Fund, BP America, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Global Green USA, The Home Depot Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, The Kresge Foundation, Low Income Housing Institute, Merrill Lynch Community Development Company, M&T Bank, National Center for Healthy Housing and Washington Mutual.

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FROM Environment News Service, a SustainableBusiness.com Content Partner

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2004. All Rights Reserved.

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