Environmental Health
Our objective is to provide resources and access to services to promote environmental health, including housing instability, interpersonal violence, gun violence, and exposure to pollution.
Affordable housing is Durham community's top priority, followed by environmental pollution, safety, and well-being.
Housing
Poor housing quality and affordability are linked to health issues, with inequities rooted in historical discrimination, including redlining. Black residents are significantly less likely to own homes, and the houseless population disproportionately identifies as Black.
Community Health Coalition Unhoused Initiative provides necessary goods to the unhoused in the Durham area, including hygiene products, socks, blankets, food, and toys for children, to name a few.
Safety
Safety is also a major concern, with rising violent crime and gun violence exacerbating health risks. Intimate partner violence (IPV) and child maltreatment are significant issues, particularly affecting Black and Latinx communities.
Pollution
Environmental factors like pollution, extreme heat, wildfires, and flooding impact health, particularly in lower-income and BIPOC communities. Lead exposure, exacerbated by historical contamination, and climate change-driven hazards, like wildfires and heatwaves, are key risks. Vulnerable populations face disproportionate health impacts, with strategies focused on improving infrastructure, public education, and resilience measures. Water contamination is another concern, especially in communities reliant on unregulated wells. Gentrification adds pressure, with rising rents and displacement negatively affecting residents' stability.
Community Health Coalition can help mitigate the effects of pollution by hosting educational workshops on the dangers of lead exposure, extreme heat, wildfires, and flooding.
Lead Testing Resources:
Children younger than six are eligible for a free blood lead screening by Durham County Department of Public Health, which can be scheduled by contacting 919-560-7600. Water Management customers who own homes built before 1986, and who are concerned about possible lead in their home's plumbing, may request to have their water tested for lead as well. To request a free sample kit, contact Durham One Call at 919-560-1200. For more information about the City’s lead testing and prevention, visit http://durhamnc.gov/1156/Lead-in-Drinking-Water or call 919-560-4381.