Caitlin Kammerer, Reading\u2019s Healthy Homes program manager, says she takes great pride in her work.<\/p>\n
The program helps identify and fix health and safety hazards in city homes with a focus on low-income families.<\/p>\n
Aimed at households earning less than 80% of the area median income, it is available for single-family owner-occupied homes and rental properties with up to four units.<\/p>\n
Services include hazard assessments, remediation, lead and radon testing, community education and staff training in risk assessment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes a big difference in assuring our residents can live in a safe environment, particularly those who cannot afford the kind of repairs we help them with,\u201d Kammerer told City Council at a recent committee of the whole meeting.<\/p>\n
Kammerer shared the story of a 91-year-old grandmother whose fixed income didn\u2019t allow for the repairs needed to make her home safe to age in place. Healthy Homes will make that possible, she said.<\/p>\n
Then there was the woman whose enameled kitchen sink was chipped, exposing the underlying lead-containing metal base. The chips were more than a cosmetic issue, she told council, they were an ongoing source of lead exposure that put the family\u2019s long-term health at risk.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I told her that we were going to replace her kitchen sink, she started crying, because that meant that she was able to have a safe place to wash dishes and prepare food for her family,\u201d Kammerer said.<\/p>\n
It was heartwarming, she said, to see how much a simple kitchen sink meant to the woman and her family.<\/p>\n
That client, Milqueya German, invited the Reading Eagle into her home this week to talk about the program with Kammerer and Luzette Reyes Gomez, program intake coordinator.<\/p>\n
German\u2019s project includes lead abatement and essential repairs throughout the Elm Street home where she lives with her children, ages 8 and 11. Electrical systems will be updated to ensure all outlets and lighting are safe and functional. The roof also will be repaired or replaced to stop leaks and prevent further water damage and mold growth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am super excited,\u201d German said. \u201cThis program is super, super good, and they help you a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Without the program, she would be unable to afford such an extensive scope of work, she said, noting she learned about it from a friend.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s typical,\u201d Kammerer said, noting a number of applicants learned about the program through word of mouth.<\/p>\n
Funded through a $1.29 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and a city-provided match of $170,452, the program is gaining traction after a delayed launch, she said.<\/p>\n
Although the city received the HUD grant in 2023, the project remained dormant until Kammerer\u2019s appointment in November 2024. The delay, she said, stemmed from the need to align the program\u2019s operations with federal and city procedures.<\/p>\n
HUD gave final authorization to spend funds in March, she said, noting funding runs through February 2027.<\/p>\n
Progress has accelerated in the past six months, she noted, with 21 housing units approved and another 18 awaiting approval.<\/p>\n
Six contractors prepared quotes for remediation work at an equal number of pending units, including German\u2019s home. Those contracts were approved by council at its Oct. 13 regular meeting. Work on the six is expected to begin by the end of the month.<\/p>\n
Kammerer said she expects the program to complete 32 assessments and finish work on nine homes by the end of the year.<\/p>\n
The goal for next year is to complete 65 units and invest $600,000 in hazard remediation, she said.<\/p>\n
The program\u2019s current pace is strong, Kammerer said, with 21 approved units and a goal of 75 by the end of the grant period.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are 11 away from halfway meeting our benchmark with HUD,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Building community trust has been one of the biggest hurdles, she said.<\/p>\n
Many residents express their reluctance to allow city staff to enter their homes, Kammerer said, noting that some fear fines or liens.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe continue to work diligently to build trust by making it clear that our Healthy Homes program is designed to help our residents and not hurt them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
German said the application process was simple. She also found Kammerer and Reyes Gomez to be professional, helpful and supportive.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey help you a lot and are such nice people,\u201d German said. \u201cI couldn\u2019t find another one nicer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kammerer said city residents can apply through the city\u2019s 311 system or in person at City Hall, 815 Washington St.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Caitlin Kammerer, Reading\u2019s Healthy Homes program manager, says she takes great pride in her work. The program helps…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10202,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[349,857,182,139,28,736,128,130,129,706],"class_list":["post-10201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-berks-county","tag-essential-reading","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-reading","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news","tag-top-stories-reg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10201"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10201\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}