Housing quality affects the health and development of children. Through the Housing Quality and Healthy Homes Partnership we are working to improve housing quality in the Salinas Valley, CA, and in other communities. The Partnership teaches community health workers, housing managers and other social service providers, how to educate and advocate for improved housing quality in their communities.

CERCH partners with the National Center for Healthy Homes (NCHH) in developing and providing Healthy Homes trainings in order to prevent environmental exposures and reduce risks in residential environments in low-income Latino communities.

CERCH has documented extensive housing quality problems in Monterey County, CA. In response to these problems, CERCH became a training partner with the National Center for Healthy Homes (NCHH) and helped develop the NCHH one-day course, Healthy Homes for Community Health Workers,” available in both Spanish and English. (See website link below.) We have presented our work to the Monterey County Housing Authority, and delivered this curriculum to non-profit organizations, farm labor housing managers, and county and city government housing departments in the Salinas Valley.

The Housing Quality and Healthy Homes Partnership addresses housing issues such as:

• Poor housing quality and overcrowding
• Cockroach, rodent, or other pest infestations
• Mold and mildew, water damage, or other problems can cause health problems in children, such as asthma.