[This post is from CEDAM’s Policy Intern, Amanda Dalaba.]

We all want housing in our communities that is healthy, safe, energy efficient, and affordable. But how do we get there?

The Green and Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) and the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) are hosting a new online dialogue about integrating health, safety, energy efficiency and weatherization interventions in low- to moderate-income homes. The purpose of this dialogue is to identify ways to overcome the barriers that prevent children, families, and communities from having healthy, safe, and energy efficient housing.

Participating in the dialogue will not only allow you to share your opinions about best and worst practices used in housing projects, but it could also provide networking opportunities with home residents, industry professionals, local and state officials, and other non-profits who are also seeking improvements in the housing arena.

Some of the questions that GHHI and NAPA are asking are:

• What barriers or challenges keep our communities from having housing that is healthy, safe, and energy efficient?
• What innovative strategies should we use to better integrate, coordinate, and leverage the resources and funding available for housing interventions?
• How can the private sector be an effective partner in helping to make homes healthy, safe and energy efficient?

You can submit your  own ideas and comment on and/or rate the ideas of others.  The Dialogue will be open until 11:59 PM EDT on Sunday, November 21, 2010.

You can access the Dialogue at www.greenandhealthyhomesdialogue.org.  NAPA will issue a report on the ideas generated during the Dialogue to GHHI in February 2011, and it will be released to the public and available on NAPA’s website, www.napawash.org.