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Local Braddock Group Gets Funding for Environmental Work

Release Date: 03/30/2009
Contact Information: Bonnie Smith, 215-814-5543, smith.bonnie@epa.gov

PHILADELPHIA (March 30, 2009) -- Heritage Health Foundation, Inc, a non-profit in Braddock, Pa., is one of 40 organizations across the country to get federal funding for community-based environmental work. The Heritage Health Foundation will use a $20,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to educate residents about the sources of outdoor and indoor air pollution in their Allegheny County community. Citizens will also learn about asthma triggers and the potential dangers of asbestos and lead-based paint in their neighborhood.

"The commitment Heritage Health Foundation is demonstrating in undertaking this project is the kind of local leadership that is vital to building strong public health protections for all Americans," said William T. Wisniewski, acting regional administrator for EPA's mid-Atlantic region.

Heritage Health Foundation's environmental justice project will provide training to people who will advocate for healthy homes and a healthier community. Educational workshops and outreach will target residents in this community which is just southeast of Pittsburgh and home to one of the last remaining steel mills in the region. The air quality in the Braddock area consistently ranks among the worst in the state of Pennsylvania. One of the goals of this project is to inform citizens about how to reduce their exposure to asbestos and poor air quality - - inside and outside. Also, the project will aim to reduce the high rate of asthma in these neighborhoods.

EPA’s funding to Heritage Health Foundation is part of the agency’s effort to assist communities dealing with environmental justice challenges. Since initiating the environmental justice small grants program 15 years ago, EPA has awarded $20 million in funding assisting 1,130 community-based organizations and local and tribal governments.

EPA's environmental justice small grants program provides financial support and empowerment to communities that are working on local solutions to local environmental and public health issues. The goal is to help create self-sustaining, community-based partnerships that will strive to improve environmental conditions in underserved communities. For more information see: htttp://www.epa.gov/compliance/environmentaljustice/index.html