Advocating for Healthy Homes
This is part 2 of our Prescription for Action: Equitable Building Decarbonization series. In our first blog post, 'What is a Healthy Home?', we explored the key principles behind healthy homes and why they matter for public health. Today, we dive deeper into PSR-LA's 40-year journey of advocating for equitable building decarbonization and the unique role that health professionals play in this fight.
While the connection between housing and public health may not always be immediately apparent, PSR-LA has actively supported healthy, decarbonized, and equitable housing for the last 40 years.
Now, more than ever, local and state action on equitable building decarbonization is critical– especially as a new Trump administration threatens clean energy initiatives and empowers polluting oil and gas industries. Building decarbonization will likely be targeted, making it even more essential to protect and build on our state's progress, with equity at the heart of our efforts. As trusted voices in the community, health professionals and physicians are uniquely positioned to drive systemic changes that can improve public health.
Advocacy for Healthy Homes: A 40-year Journey
Buildings are more than just physical structures we enter and leave—they can impact our health and well-being. Aging buildings and inefficient homes with gas-powered appliances can contribute to a variety of health problems, including respiratory diseases, cardiovascular issues, and mental health stress.
The risks are even greater for vulnerable communities, particularly low-income families and BIPOC communities. Smaller homes, often concentrated in areas near freeways or industrial zones, tend to experience higher levels of indoor air pollution. Additionally, low-income families have fewer resources and face social and economic barriers to replacing gas appliances with cleaner alternatives, especially if they live in rental housing.
PSR-LA has long been committed to a holistic approach as a solution for healthy and safe homes. From our early advocacy around lead remediation to our work supporting the removal of toxic chemicals from household products, PSR-LA has remained committed to ensuring that everyone has access to a healthy home.
As health and environmental justice movement leaders, we've been crucial in elevating equitable building decarbonization as a public health and environmental justice issue. Today, we continue to work with environmental justice communities, advocating for the inclusion of low-income and BIPCO communities in discussions about decarbonizing and building habitable homes.
Advocating for Healthy Homes Today
As the climate and housing crises intensify, PSR-LA continues to push for healthy, resilient homes through coalition-building and policy reform.
Statewide, we collaborate with the Building Energy, Equity & Power (BEEP) Coalition, which comprises environmental justice advocates across the state. Together, we spearheaded an initiative to host listening sessions across California, providing residents with a platform to share their concerns. Key issues raised included the lack of culturally sensitive, multilingual educational resources on building decarbonization, the need for protections against rising living costs, and the financial burden of electrification upgrades.
These insights were instrumental in shaping a preliminary report, which included community-based policy recommendations such as prioritizing community outreach, funding debt relief programs to alleviate energy burdens in low-income communities, enacting tenant protections, and incorporating energy efficiency measures into decarbonization strategies.
Additionally, the BEEP Coalition published a report exploring the housing quality disparities faced by low-income and BIPOC communities. The report highlights how equitable building decarbonization—particularly when co-designed with environmental justice organizations—can help empower, not disenfranchise, vulnerable communities.
PSR-LA is actively engaged with state legislators and regulatory agencies to ensure that equitable building decarbonization policies and programs reflect the priorities and concerns of our community, such as those identified in the BEEP listening sessions. Some of the policy arenas where PSR-LA takes a leadership role include:
California Public Utilities Commission: Building Decarbonization Proceeding,
California Energy Commission: Equitable Building Decarbonization Program,
California Air Resource Board: Building Appliance Standard Rulemaking and
SB 1221 (Min): Zonal Building Decarbonization
While some of these policy battles are ongoing, we can ensure their successful implementation with the support of physicians and public health advocates.
Locally, PSR-LA co-founded the Los Angeles for Resilient and Healthy Homes (LARHH) Coalition, a diverse alliance of labor, environmental, and housing justice organizations advocating for equitable building decarbonization in Los Angeles. A key element of the coalition's work is preventing unintended consequences for renters, such as displacement or rising rent burdens, advocating for union jobs, prioritizing local hiring, and fostering a new generation of climate workers.
To this end, PSR-LA has actively supported equitable building decarbonization projects that prevent unintended consequences for renters. One significant achievement was helping LA County secure $328 million in state funding to implement building decarbonization pilot projects across Southern California. The funding will support pilot projects that protect renters from displacement while helping to meet local clean energy and climate goals. This is a major victory, as trusted community-based organizations can now ensure that neighborhoods impacted by environmental injustices are prioritized.
Health Professionals and their Role in the Fight for Healthy Homes
Doctors, nurses, public health experts, and community health workers—are all uniquely equipped to advocate for equitable building decarbonization.
By assessing individuals' health or working in environmental justice communities, health professionals can directly observe the profound connections between environmental factors and health outcomes. They witness firsthand how injustices can fuel a growing public health crisis. Their unique perspectives are helpful and invaluable in pushing for policies prioritizing vulnerable communities' health.
Health professionals have a proven track record of success in advocating for public health issues. In our recent fight against the fossil fuel industry, health professionals were instrumental in shifting public opinion and encouraging policymakers to enact laws and regulations for the safety and health of communities.
As our state and region transition to clean energy, health professionals can have a significant impact. They can lead advocacy for policies that provide financial incentives for low-income households, promote protections for renters, and ensure access to energy-efficient housing for everyone, not just those who can afford costly retrofits.
While health professionals cannot prescribe medication to address the root causes of environmental harm, they can use their influence as public health advocates to help prevent what we cannot cure.
Opportunities for PSR-LA Members to Advocate for Healthy Homes
Advocating for building decarbonization is not just about reducing emissions; it's about creating a future where everyone has access to a safe, healthy, and sustainable living environment. Equity must be central to this transformation, ensuring that low-income and BIPOC communities are not left behind. By engaging in policy debates at the local and state levels, we can ensure that building decarbonization is part of the broader fight against the polluting fossil fuel industry and its harmful impacts on vulnerable communities.
The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety is drafting a new Building Performance Standard, and PSR-LA and the LARHH coalition are deeply engaged in the stakeholder process. This is a crucial moment for health professionals to ensure that the voices of vulnerable communities are heard and that public health is prioritized in any and all decarbonization strategies.
The need for change is urgent, but it must be done equitably. Residential and commercial buildings contribute nearly one-third of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and low-income households face the highest exposure to these environmental health risks. PSR-LA is leading the charge for healthier homes, but we need your support.
Join us in advocating for policies that ensure equitable building decarbonization for all.
This blog is the second of a series exploring the various aspects of equitable building decarbonization. In our next post, we'll explore how equitable building decarbonization intersects with tenant rights and environmental justice– two critical components of ensuring that everyone, regardless of income or background, has access to a healthy and safe home.
