American public housing over the last few decades has been an underfunded study in ignoring basic tenant health and safety. But with a growing outcry about everything from lead pipe poisoning to broken high rise elevators, mould and malfunctioning appliances, another funding imperative has simultaneously emerged: “green” energy efficiency, with governments expecting to lead the way in saving the world from climate change.
So, with limited funding to manage either tenant needs or green energy efficiency needs. Something’s gotta give, right?
If only it were that simple.
The two issues are intertwined. A Cambridge, Massachusetts public housing complex opted for “green,” and refurbished to reduce energy costs. Alas, it did not properly evaluate tenant needs. The result: when a single tenant boiled water to attend to personal health needs, it wound up costing the housing authority tens of thousands in repairs.
Both tenant health and safety AND green efficiency will be required in the future. It’s not a convenient bean counter solution of “either-or.” Read more in Cambridge Day: Millers River tenant had own way to humidify, and it cost $31,000 to clear the resulting mold
