About Healthy Homes

The Florida Department of Health in Indian River (DOH-Indian River) strives to build healthier communities by providing Indian River County residents with information and resources that foster safe and healthy homes.

The key to healthier homes is understanding the connection between housing hazards and health. Housing conditions effect health directly and indirectly. A healthy home is a home that supports and enhances the physical, mental, and social wellbeing of an individual or family.

Young children spend nearly 90% of their time indoors and suffer the effects of housing hazards more severely. Until effective standards for the domestic environment are devised. It is likely that children will continue to be employed as biological indicators of substandard housing.

Click here to read about our Housing Crisis 

Pollutants that can impact indoor air quality include radon, lead, asbestos, mold, tobacco smoke, and household chemicals such as cleaning products, pesticides, and paint. Other factors include ventilation systems, cooking practices, and excess moisture from leaks or condensation.

The Healthy Homes program is a no-cost resource for all Indian River county residents. It prioritizes households with respiratory illnesses and diseases and underserved and under-resourced communities.

The program concentrates  on indoor health and safety by completing an assessment with the resident and providing information and recommending no to low-cost solutions as needed.

Click Here to Sign up for a Free Home Assessment

The Healthy Homes assessment answers questions such as: 

• What are you already doing well in and around your home? 
• Are there any health or safety concerns in your home?
• Are there low to mid-cost solutions or repairs you can make?
• What resources may be available to address potential issues or concerns?

The assessment was created in 2018 as part of a joint effort to help find common asthma triggers in homes and discuss ways to reduce and remove triggers by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Centers for Disease control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development HUD), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The assessment does not address building code enforcement or include repairs or diagnostics.

The free Healthy Homes assessment evaluates the structure and condition of the home and focuses on providing education and information to improve the indoor air quality and safety within the home. The program assessment is organized around the eight principles of healthy housing and makes recommendations for simple changes that can improve indoor air quality and reduce housing hazards.

• Dry
• Clean
• Pest-free
• Well-ventilated
• Safe
• Contaminant Free
• Maintained
• Thermally Controlled

• Educational materials that explain how hazards develop and how to reduce or remove them
• Information about relevant resources 
• Referrals to free or low-cost services and solutions
• Assistance with applications for grants or low interest loans

Click Here to Sign up for a Free Home Assessment
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