We are focused on creating a community without lead hazards.
We are Lead Safe Allegheny.
VISION
We envision a community in which all Allegheny County children and their families live in a lead-safe environment.
MISSION
Lead Safe Allegheny works within Allegheny County to provide leadership and advocacy that advances strategic initiatives and fosters collaboration among the community by focusing on primary prevention and ultimately creating a lead safe environment.
Lead poisoning affects all of us, and we all need to take responsibility for addressing it. Whether in our housing, water, or soil, we must act collectively to prevent and remediate lead hazards and the harmful effects of lead exposure on affected children and families. Dedicated resources are needed for lead testing, screening, lead hazard control and abatement, assistance for affected families, community education and organizing, workforce development for lead professionals, increasing the supply of safe, affordable housing options, training in lead-safe work practices for property owners, contractors, and more.
In furtherance of the Allegheny County Lead Task Force Report, the Coalition will advocate effectively to ensure we maintain public vigilance until we have achieved our overall goal of protecting children by eliminating harmful exposure to lead in all sources.
Accomplishments
- Engaged more than 50 individuals and organizations across sectors in our work together.
- Worked with partners to improve data reporting and access to community maps.
- Improved and streamlined referral system to early intervention services.
- Created educational materials targeted to families, DIYers, landlords, municipal leaders, and more.
- Hosted educational information sessions and workshops in partnership with county agencies, community partners, and social service providers.
- Created a policy toolkit to help municipalities and local leaders plan and consider lead primary prevention policies.
- Hosted lead training courses to get inspectors and contractors certified in Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP), and Lead Dust Wipe Sampling.
1. Primary Prevention
The only way to truly protect children and their families from environmental health hazards such as lead is to identify these hazards, as well as potential hazards, and take corrective and preventive action before harm occurs. The only way to truly protect children and their families from environmental health hazards such as lead is to identify these hazards, as well as potential hazards, and take corrective and preventive action before harm occurs.
2. Systems Change
Lead Safe Allegheny will transform policies and systems to promote lead poisoning prevention, blood lead screening, medical treatment, and early intervention. Allegheny County families must have access to housing that is lead-safe. All families must have information on lead hazards in homes and how to protect themselves and their children. This work includes engaging municipalities, water authorities, and other government agencies.
3. Transparency
Community members have the right to know about lead hazards in their homes, neighborhoods, and communities. The Coalition will work to ensure information regarding lead exposure, including sources, communities impacted, and available funding to address exposure, are communicated and publicly accessible.
4. Community Engagement
Communicating directly, exchanging ideas regularly, developing projects jointly with local communities is the Coalition’s organizing strategy. Understanding that for solutions to be sustainable, those directly affected must be full partners in project design and implementation.
5. Responsibility and Accountability
Our responsibility is to educate residents about steps they can take to reduce exposure to lead, inform elected leaders and community stakeholders, and provide approaches and strategies that focus on primary prevention. Lead Safe Allegheny will prioritize holding itself responsible for protecting the health and safety of our children and families from lead exposure.
6. Collaboration
Coalition members will work as a team to make this community’s environment lead-safe. Because we recognize and value the differing perspectives of our members, we seek to achieve a consensus on all Coalition decisions. Groups working on similar issues with compatible visions should consciously act in solidarity, mutuality, and support each other’s work.
7. Respect and Integrity
Individuals and organizations that share common values and work on kindred issues deserve mutual respect, honesty, trust, and candor, even when they may differ on tactics or short-term objectives. We must work toward justice, peace, and community.
8. Science-Based
Lead Safe Allegheny will identify and pursue solutions based on the best available science and common sense, rooted in Allegheny County’s unique assets and challenges. All initiatives, reports, proposals publicly issued by the Coalition shall be evidence-based and reflect the latest scientific research available, such as through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
9. Health Equity
Lead exposure is a problem that knows no geographic boundaries. However, we recognize that there are communities more impacted than others. This Coalition strives to conduct its work in a manner that ensures all children are protected from lead exposure, especially those residing in environmental justice communities. We pursue health equity in our work, striving for the highest possible standard of health for all people and giving special attention to the needs of those communities at greatest risk for health disparities, including communities of color.