Meeting Information

EnvironmentalCommittee

San Francisco Asthma Task Force Environmental Committee
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008; 1:30-3:30 pm

MINUTES

Present: Cynthia Knowles, San Francisco Department of the Environment, Vince Fabris, Karen Cohn, Anjali Nath, Neil Gendel, Raymond Manion, Emily Rogers

1. Stakeholder Healthy Homes Trainings-

April 21^st training scheduled on thermographic camera use for DBI and MOH.  Will be held in DBI conference room.  DBI will need to bring camera to training.

Karen also speaking with Dennis Jordan of Alameda County about doing a 2 day healthy homes course- Ben Heckman’s group could do a third day on mold remediation, home performance testing

2. Media Activities

ATF print ads will run in the Examiner on Earth Day, April 18^th, then on Wednesdays for a few weeks leading up to World Asthma Day, May 6^th. The advertisement gives SFE as a contact number for additional information.

3. SFE Healthy Homes Pilot Project

Cynthia Knowles from SFE came to present project.  1 year, 1 time project part of SFE’s toxics reduction initiative. Funded through grants from EPA and California Breathing.

Project will focus on Alice Griffith housing project.  Aims to educate tenants about pest, mold problems, safer cleaning products, etc.  SFE partnering with HERC and Green Action.

1^st phase of project is home assessment to be conducted by HERC.  HERC will visit 150 homes- they have hired 6 community outreach workers.  Green Action will do follow up, more extensive visits to 80 homes. Green Action visits funded separately from HERC visits.  Green Action will first do an educational home visit and hand out green cleaning tool kit and supplies. Follow up visit a few weeks after (5-6).  SFE will conduct training April 14, 15^th for HERC’s outreach workers at Communities of Opportunity in Alice Griffith.

1^st visit- home assessment

2^nd visit- specific assessment based upon initial findings

3^rd visit- follow up

Documentation of work done in this project is crucial for sustainability.  Haroon in Karen’s office will help with database development for HERC.  Questions asked to tenants through questionnaire need to match database.

Neil suggests taking pictures during home assessments- reason for pictures/documentation needs to be clearly explained to tenants. Pictures/verbal anticdotes can be used for future case studies. 

Cynthia is also working with Pesticide Reduction in Rental Housing group on a similar project in the Bayview at different housing sites.  Working with Green Action. They have been having a positive response from tenants re: cleaning products. 

Green Action also needs database. Database can also track that referrals have been made and follow through has happened.

Future funding for this project could potentially come from RAMP CEED grant, or California Breathing Healthy Housing grants.

Neil asked Cynthia to what extent this project will focus on the behavior of tenants.  Project is tenant focused, educational “this is what you can use in your home….”

Karen wrote an email to Naja Boyd at SFHA re: larger scale issues that will come up in this project (maintenance/repair).  Asks will SFHA address or should they be referred to code enforcement.

Prior to project start SFE inventoried cleaning products currently available in the BV.   Hired consultant to analyze products. 

Toolkit will be given to participants during 2^nd visit- will include baking soda, vinegar, roach motels, baits.  Karen will help Cynthia with follow up support resources (i.e. SFHA, Code Enforcement)

Karen suggests that Cynthia speak with Dennis Jordan from Alameda County re: his programs and dust mite products that they use.  

Committee spoke about how this project might be sustained- talking to stores in community regarding products that they carry, conversations between tenant groups and community regarding issue.

Karen suggests interns from UCB to do a community based research project.

4. Healthy Housing Legislation

Karen spoke with City Attorney who feels like 7 things are potentially relevant for legislation, but more research is needed.  Karen having trouble reaching out to housing advocates.