Addressing the housing-based causes of lead poisoning, asthma, injury, and energy inefficiency by creating homes that are healthy, safe, and resilient.

A Community-Wide Effort

The Memphis/Shelby County Healthy Homes Partnership (HHP) was established in 2014 by seven community partners who signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate in addressing housing problems that impact children’s health. Today, the HHP has 33 participating organizations representing a broad cross-sector coalition of governmental and nonprofit housing, health, legal services, and environmental justice and grassroots organizations collaborating on issues related to healthy housing, lead poisoning prevention, weatherization, inter-agency service referrals, workforce development, data sharing and public accountability.

Lead Exposure Risk in Memphis

Vox worked with the Washington State Department of Health to map lead exposure risk nationally by census tract. They used housing and poverty data in their calculations to show areas of risk. These are not confirmed lead poisoning cases. The bright red areas in the map you see are places that public health researchers have identified as having the highest risk of lead exposure. View Vox’s lead exposure risk map.

MLGW Public Water Service Line Inventory

This tool displays where MLGW has a water service and if the water service material is lead, non-lead, galvanized, or unknown on both MLGW’s service side and the customer’s property side. View the tool here.

Source: Rad Cunninghnam, Washington State Department of Health
Credit: Sarah Frostenson

The HHP has led key initiatives to improve healthy homes awareness and services.

  • In 2015, the Master Home Environmentalist program was established by the HHP to provide free healthy homes assessment to residents. Trained community members provide assessments, which include healthy homes supplies for each household and referrals to needed services.

  • In 2017 HHP together with the City of Memphis led the effort for Memphis to become a Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) affiliated city. GHHI is now a valued and key partner in the community working for safer and more accessible housing.

  • 2015-2018 Healthy Homes and lead poisoning awareness training for 115 community, public health, housing and Code Enforcement professionals.

  • In 2023, members of the HHP formed the Memphis Lead Coalition to focus more intensively on lead poisoning awareness, prevention and remediation services.

Partners

Want to see who is involved?