Community Action to Strengthen Advocacy for Healthy Housing (CASAHH)

Pests can carry disease and conventional methods to treat infestation rely on chemicals that can make people sick, causing asthma and even cancer. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an approach to managing pests that seeks to prevent and/or limit harm to human health and the environment. IPM tries to figure out why and how pests are becoming a nuisance, and to take care of the root causes of the problem. IPM uses least-toxic pesticides only as a last resort, reducing contamination of air and water, as well as threats to human health. 

Community Action to Strengthen Advocacy for Healthy Housing, or CASAHH, increases knowledge and capacity of community members  to address health risks associated with pest infestations and pesticide exposure through community driven research and IPM policy advocacy. CASAHH seeks to increase engagement of building and safety code enforcers with IPM policy on housing and health. CASAHH also seeks to improve health conditions for children ad families in areas disproportionately affected by health risks in the home associated with pest infestations and exposure to pesticides.CASAHH also seeks to reduce pest infestation and pesticide use in low-income housing complexes. CASAHH seeks to increase knowledge and skills of community members to conduct, organize, educate, and mobilize community members to respond to community health needs and issues. 

 

Smoke-Free Apartments Project

Although 85% of California's adults do not smoke, only a small fraction of rental units are smoke-free. Secondhand smoke is a toxic air contaminant with no safe levels of exposure. Secondhand smoke causes tens of thousands of deaths each year and it is the 3rd leading cause of preventable death in the US. The right to breathe clean air in one's own home is a basic health protection that everyone deserves. People's CORE works with tenants and owners to implement policies that reduce secondhand smoke exposure in multi-unit housing in Central LA.