National Academy of Medicine has posted an inspirational video on People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH), and its efforts to help low income residents in the city of Buffalo to repair their unhealthy homes, instead of losing them. The video showcases the work that PUSH does to connect homeowners to various forms of assistance, from sources of capital to qualified workers.
Buffalo has the second oldest housing stock in the nation. That means that there are some wonderful old houses, but at the same time, there are many structures that need a lot of work to bring up to date. People who can’t afford to fix up their unhealthy houses, are faced with issues that need to be corrected in a timely manner. If they don’t have the resources to address the issues, mounting problems ensue.
That’s where PUSH comes in – the organization goes to bat for people who are in need of resources. Prevailing problems that low income homeowners face include, lead, asbestos, poor insulation, and even black mold. When someone is living in unhealthy surroundings, and they can’t afford to fix the problem, typically the answer is to live with the problematic issue, or move out. Thankfully, there are community organizations such as PUSH that set out to help homeowners remedy the problems, so that they can continue to live happy and healthy lives, in their own homes.