Green & Healthy Homes Initiative Inc

The maryland programs department provides outreach and training, resident education, case management, tenants' rights and legal assistance, housing relocation assistance, housing inspections, and comprehensive housing interventions in low-income homes in maryland including lead hazard, asthma trigger and household injury risk remediation, aging in place modifications, and energy efficiency and weatherization interventions. In 2023, ghhi expanded its integrated model to include solar panel installations and electrification services for clients to increase access in disadvantaged communities to renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency measures that reduce energy costs and climate impact while improving occupant health. In 2024, the maryland direct services program reached more than 4,600 people through outreach and education events; conducted 875 home visits to provide asthma education and asthma case management services; provided healthy housing and energy efficiency intervention services in 234 homes; electrified and decarbonized 15 homes; and conducted 229 foster care home inspections. Ghhi continued its partnership with johns hopkins university's center for injury prevention and research on its groundbreaking hud funded technical assistance study, co-developing a model assessment tool to reduce injuries to young children in their homes.

The special initiatives department works at the national and local levels to advance a theory of change that investments in health-based housing standards and energy efficiency yield significant improvements in health, climate, economic, educational and other social outcomes. The department serves as a national thought leader and innovator through its groundbreaking work, communications and publications to build cross sector support for healthy, safe and energy efficient housing at scale. In 2024, ghhi launched its epa region 3 thriving communities grantmaking program (tcgm), a $60 million grant program it was awarded in late 2023. With epa funding, ghhi will award 208 grants to community-based organizations and agencies conducting eligible environmental health projects in disadvantaged communities in region 3 that includes: delaware, district of columbia, maryland, pennsylvania, virginia, west virginia, and seven federally recognized native american tribes. Ghhi and its program partners will provide technical assistance and support to the grantee recipient organizations to successfully complete environmental health projects that help transform underserved communities into healthy, thriving communities capable of overcoming historical environmental and public health challenges.

Policy and innovation: ghhi works to advance polices and implement models to support sustainable resources for healthy housing, including developing and assessing new funding pathways, partnerships with sectors such as healthcare, and making the business case for investing in healthy housing and increasing local capacity. Ghhi provides technical assistance to asthma, household injury and other health prevention projects around the country, conducting data analysis and designing partnerships between housing and healthcare that can result in sustainable healthcare funded preventive programs. In 2024, ghhi continued its work on the $4.75 million new york healthy homes collaborative outcomes-based, asthma prevention financing project with affinity by molina that ghhi helped develop, has provided preventive services to 303 molina members with asthma to date. In north carolina, ghhi produced the final report for blue cross blue shield of nc on the innovative fall prevention pilot ($1.3 million) that served 461 members. Blue cross blue shield will be analyzing the roi of the project in 2025. Ghhi continues to be the technical assistance provider for the $20 million detroit home repair fund, which utilizes eleven local community development organizations to provide critical repairs for over 300 detroit families. Ghhi also began an innovative project for a subset of detroit home repair fund homes, incorporating an assessment for electrification readiness in terms of home condition and resident interest. The project is funded by the national science foundation, in partnership with pecan street and the university of michigan. In ohio, ghhi completed its two years of work as the evaluator and technical assistance provider for the state health department's asthma program. Climate, energy and community resilience: the climate, energy and community resilience department is committed to direct services, research, advocacy, dissemination of best practices and technical and strategic guidance and partnerships that reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased residential energy efficiency, electrification and decarbonization, and improved housing conditions. The department advances coordinated approaches to healthy, energy efficient, decarbonized, and affordable housing at the federal, state and local level by promoting interagency coordination and increased support for electrification. Through community level engagement, technical assistance services, and national policy leadership and advocacy, the department also seeks to achieve the adoption of electrification as a health and climate-based housing standard. In 2024, ghhi advocated for the adoption of zero emissions heating equipment standards (zehes) in maryland and other state level advancement of policies for comprehensive healthy homes and energy efficiency upgrades, including the alignment of climate, health and housing sectors.data evaluation & data management: the data, evaluation and learning department uses data to learn, iterate and improve programming and services across all facets of ghhi and the broader healthy homes community. The department curates engagements with stakeholders around the country about the importance of data in our larger effort to create healthier homes and provides data on the return on investment for private and public stakeholder investments which ultimately result in healthier families. The data & evaluation team has worked with projects and organizations across the country to design evaluation plans and build custom data management systems to ensure the efficacy of programing and services. Access to real time data on activities, outputs and outcomes has allowed projects and organizations to operate with more efficiency while also creating pathways to learn and pivot on programmatic approach; thus, creating increased opportunities for successful outcomes and lasting impact for families and individuals.