Asthma-Safe Homes Program: Environmental Home Repairs FAQs

The education and environmental services are two different parts of the program. Your first agreement covered the asthma education services you received. The environmental services agreement provides your consent for the home assessment and, if approved, completion of minor home repairs. Signing the agreement ensures that you understand the services being offered, what to expect during the process, and your responsibilities as a participant.

As a renter, both you and your landlord must sign the participation agreement. The program needs your landlord’s permission to complete the home assessment and repairs. Your service provider will reach out to your landlord to get their signature but if they are having trouble getting in contact with them they may reach out to you to ask for your help in reaching them if possible.

Your service provider will reach out to your landlord to provide them information on the program and benefits to them and to you. If they decline to participate the provider cannot move forward with repairs. They may be able to provide you and your landlord with other local resources to address hazards in the home where available.

Property owners do need to have home insurance to receive repairs through the program. Your service provider will ask for verification of insurance. This ensures that the home and new repairs are protected from loss.

The asthma educator’s home walkthrough helped identify possible asthma triggers and determine whether your family could benefit from environmental services. The environmental assessor completes a more detailed assessment to identify additional conditions that may affect asthma and determine which repairs or improvements may have the greatest benefit for your child or family. The two visits have different purposes and work together to help create a healthier home environment.

The assessor needs to look at the whole home because conditions in one area can affect the air and environment throughout the home. Even if your child does not spend time in a particular room, there may be moisture, mold, pests, dust, or other conditions that can affect indoor air quality. For example, moisture or mold in a basement can affect the air in other parts of the home. The assessor will prioritize recommendations based on the areas and conditions most likely to affect your child’s asthma.

Basements and attics can contain conditions that may affect the health and safety of the home. In the basement, the assessor may check for moisture, mold, pests, plumbing issues, and the condition and operation of mechanical systems and appliances. In the attic, the assessor may check for roof leaks, moisture, and whether bathroom or other exhaust fans are properly vented to the outside. These areas can help identify problems that may not be visible in the main living areas.

It can vary depending on the availability of the sub-contractor or construction crew your service provider is working with. It may depend on availability of materials needed for the repair.

Any repairs completed through the program must be related to health and safety and intended to improve asthma symptoms for the program participant. The exact repairs will be determined by the assessor after a thorough assessment of your home. Common repairs include adding vented exhaust fans in the bathroom and kitchen to improve indoor air quality, removing carpeting and replacing with hard surface flooring to reduce exposure to allergens in carpet, removing mold and fixing plumbing leaks, fixing gaps where pests can enter, and more.

Repairs that are not asthma-related are not covered as part of the program. The program is not intended to address cosmetic renovations.

The list of repairs was carefully determined based on prioritization of the most significant asthma-related hazards by the assessor. Completing the recommended repairs is most likely to reduce asthma triggers in your home. Please discuss with your service provider if you have questions or concerns about a suggested repair.

Each local service provider works with sub-contractors or their own construction crews to make the repairs. Every contractor is licensed and has liability insurance. More information about the chosen contractor will be provided at the time of approval for the list of repairs.