Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan

We made so many invaluable connections through GRGD 2024, like Known Profits Podcast creators which gave us more visibility in the community. We were also given a platform to share our mission and the need for safe healthy housing for Kent County kids.

With increased funding, we would want to increase our programming and become an example of how to work in the children's environmental justice space for the nation. We know that children in Grand Rapids are disproportionately exposed to hazards like lead paint and dust* as well as poor air quality** and we are committed to increasing our education and advocacy efforts to prevent these children from negative health outcomes. *https://tinyurl.com/bdz2x5s4**https://tinyurl.com/3mj77csf

We are aiming to raise $5,000 to increase our work around air quality. In 2023, the Grand Rapids/Muskegon area was rated the worst air quality in the state, that translates into more time indoors for kids and we are committed to ensuring safe and healthy indoor air quality for those children. We are also motivated by knowing that this is an issue that disproportionately impacts children of color and lower income families. Regardless of race of economic status, ALL children deserve safe and healthy housing so they may reach their highest potential.

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Lead poisoning is 100% preventable but its effects, once a child has an elevated blood lead level, is irreversible and will impact that child for a lifetime. That's why we at Healthy Homes believe our best approach to children's health is to prevent the source of the hazard, whether it is lead, radon, asthma triggers, or a source of injury.