Rochester's Healthy Home

Project Overview

The initial core partners of SWAN, RFRI, and the University of Rochester (U of R) have all interacted for several years through the Rochester Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning (CPLP).  

The 2002 Center for Government Relations report showing a lead poisoning rate of 35% in SWAN galvanized our community.  With SWAN's increased involvement in the CPLP and understanding of the impact of lead in our community, we wanted to initiate a local direct action project that would help reduce lead poisoning.  

At the same time, the Rochester Fatherhood Resource Initiative saw the opportunity to contribute to workforce development.   RFRI had recently initiated a program called Building Economic Empowerment, Achieving and Maintaining Stability (BEEAMS) to train unemployed men for gainful employment in contracting.   

The University of Rochester Environmental Health Sciences Center has been involved in several direct action projects to reduce hazards by providing environmental health information.   The U of R partnered with another community group on the Get the Lead Out (GLO) project, which originated in an adjoining neighborhood.  

SWAN and RFRI saw GLO's temporary Lead Lab, with its hands-on, practical and interactive displays as an extremely effective way to reach our community. The U of R noted that national groups have found it efficient and effective to address multiple home based hazards in a healthy homes framework.  We soon decided that broadening our scope to Healthy Home issues would be more effective than focusing solely on lead hazards. 

GLO's Lead Lab   

Dust wipe results showed that the windowsill had leaded dust that was 30 times higher than EPA clearance standards and a window well that was 300 times higher than EPA clearance standards.