Pittsburgh has joined 18 other sites nationwide as a partner with the national Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) after a recent Compact Signing Ceremony.  The Compact formalizes the partnership between the Mayor’s Office, other government agencies, and nonprofit service providers with GHHI to deliver housing intervention programs for Pittsburgh and Allegheny County residents living in energy inefficient, unhealthy, and unsafe homes.

The Compact Signing Ceremony—held at the CCI Ann Gerace Jones Building on the South Side—is the culmination of more than a year of convening, planning, and organizing so that Pittsburgh families can realize the positive outcomes the GHHI model consistently produces in cities across the country.  Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto, and GHHI President & CEO Ruth Ann Norton participated in the Compact Signing Ceremony along with  Allegheny County Health Department Director, Dr. Karen Hacker. 

According to data researched by GHHI, one in ten children have asthma, which can be triggered by mold, pests, dust mites, pet hair and dander, tobacco smoke and cleaning chemicals—all of which are present in homes and responsible for 40 percent of all asthma incidents.  Residents of homes that have received coordinated delivery of services report reductions in doctor visits, ER visits, and hospitalizations due to asthma.  Specifically, after implementing the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative in nearby Cleveland, asthma-related client hospitalizations were reduced by 56% and asthma-related client ER visits went down 63%.  

Success of the GHHI Initiative rests, in great part, with the nonprofit service providers.  CCI and Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh serve as the local lead nonprofit partners—called “joint outcome brokers” in the GHHI model. 

Inaugural signators to the Pittsburgh Green & Healthy Homes Compact include:

• ACTION Housing
• Allegheny County Economic Development
• Allegheny County Health Department
• CCI
• Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh
• Homewood Children’s Village
• Nazareth Housing Services
• The Pittsburgh Project
• Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh
• Urban Redevelopment Authority
• Women for a Healthy Environment

Additional organizations and agencies will continue to join the initial group.