© 2024 WRVO Public Media
NPR News for Central New York
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Syracuse to invest in healthy, green homes

Tom Magnarelli
/
WRVO News (file photo)
Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner said the city and Onondaga County will work with several local agencies on the Green and Healthy Home Initiative to create more healthy, energy efficient homes.

Aging homes, poverty and unemployment force too many central New Yorkers to live in housing that just isn’t safe according to the New York state attorney general’s office. So it’s giving Home HeadQuarters $1 million to create the Greater Syracuse Green and Healthy Homes Initiative.

Local governments and several agencies have signed a pact promising to support initiatives that will lead to healthy homes. Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner said one of the big issues will focus on potential lead poisoning from lead paint.

"It’s been an issue here in Syracuse, unfortunately for a long time, mostly due to the fact that we have very old housing stock -- which is a great access because it’s unique, but it does have it’s liability because old houses do have lead paint in them,” Miner said.

Miner said it’s an issue that needs a collaborative effort.

"We’re gonna have a coalition of people dedicated to making sure we have green and healthy homes, so we can eliminate lead paint and the deleterious effects it has especially on the children of Syracuse," Miner said.

Along with mitigating the lead paint, the initiative will work on creating better energy efficiency in some of these older homes.

Last week, a nationwide study by Quest Diagnostics showed Syracuse with the highest lead poisoning rate among young children in the nation. This healthy homes initiative will also address environmental-based health hazards that cause asthma, as well as working on energy efficiency and weatherization interventions.

Ellen produces news reports and features related to events that occur in the greater Syracuse area and throughout Onondaga County. Her reports are heard regularly in regional updates in Morning Edition and All Things Considered.