Trace: ImperativeB » D1 4H Clothing » Extension Web Statistics » Password expiration » Southernregion:HE

Southernregion:HE

From AgriLife WIki

Jump to: navigation, search

Housing and Environment Competencies[1] (version of June 1, 2006)


Contents

IV. HOUSING & ENVIRONMENT

Housing - General Concepts

Essential

  1. Access research-based housing information.
  2. Access web-based housing resources.
  3. Find information sources outside of the Cooperative Extension Service and universities (e.g., major organizations, government agencies) and discern the credibility of such sources.
  4. Discern the quality of information related to housing in general.
  5. Definition and delivery of Housing concepts

Housing Acquisition

Essential

  1. The issues affecting housing choices (individual/family needs, cost, availability, lifestyle, etc.).
  2. Differences in housing types (single family/multifamily, house/duplex/apartment/condo, etc.).
  3. The costs involved in the rental or purchase of a home.
  4. The costs of owning a home (maintenance, utilities, etc.).
  5. The types of professionals involved in home purchase (Realtor, mortgage lender, home inspector, closing attorney, etc.).
  6. Psychological, social, and physical impacts of housing on individuals, families, and communities.
  7. The interdependence of housing and the environment and natural resources

Intermediate

  1. Housing tenure options.
  2. Implications of renting versus owning a home.
  3. Housing affordability.
  4. The steps involved in renting a home.
  5. The steps involved in the purchase of a home.
  6. The difference between a rental agreement and a lease, and terms of both.
  7. Categories of mortgage options and related consumer fraud (i.e., predatory lending, flipping, etc.).
  8. Ways to manage housing and related expenses to avoid mortgage foreclosure.

Advanced

  1. How to evaluate, select, and obtain an appropriate and affordable mortgage.
  2. Fair housing rights.
  3. Tax implications of home ownership.
  4. How housing related expenses (utilities, taxes, maintenance) factor into total housing costs.
  5. How to collaborate with other agencies, organizations, and groups to inform the public through homebuyer education programming.
  6. Sources of down payment assistance and mortgages for low income households.

Housing Maintenance and Care

Essential

  1. The role of routine home inspection by the consumer in maintaining the value and structural integrity of the home.
  2. The role of preventive maintenance in maintaining the value and structural integrity of the home.
  3. Methods and benefits of recycling.
  4. Methods of pest control, including integrated pest management.
  5. Hazards of pesticide use.
  6. Roles of contractors, repair persons, and other home construction and maintenance professionals.

Intermediate

  1. Why and how consumers should be able to find information on maintenance, repairs, and remodeling prior to communicating with a contractor or tradesperson.
  2. How to select contractors, repair persons, and other home construction and maintenance professionals for service in the home.
  3. The importance of using a contract for home maintenance, repair, and remodeling.
  4. The components of a contract for home maintenance, repair, and remodeling (e.g., liability, insurance).
  5. How various home systems (electrical, plumbing, heating) relate to energy conservation, health, and safety.

Advanced

  1. Seasonal home inspection and maintenance practices for the home interior and exterior.
  2. The use and importance of operation manuals, guarantees, and warranties.

Household Cleaning

Essential

  1. The importance of routine household cleaning.
  2. The basic properties of common household cleaners (e.g., bleaches, detergents, disinfectants).
  3. Ways to maintain and care for household surfaces and materials (e.g., flooring, cabinetry, counters).
  4. The safety guidelines and caution labels associated with household cleaning products.

Home Safety and Accessibility

Essential

  1. The physiological changes of children and adults.
  2. The relationship between physiological changes and the home environment.
  3. The four cornerstones of universal design.
  4. The ways in which families can be assisted in conducting health and safety risk assessments in the home.
  5. The common causes of home accidents, injuries, and fatalities.

Intermediate

  1. The Americans with Disabilities Act [ADA] and related legislation.
  2. Difference between accessible and universal design.
  3. Evaluating floor plans for adequate storage, kitchen and bath needs.
  4. Home remodeling issues in accessibility/safety: advantages and disadvantages

Advanced

  1. Specific home modifications designed for the safety of children.
  2. Products and home modifications that compensate for physical changes associated with aging.
  3. Specific requirements for accessible homes including door widths, threshold maximums, grab bar specifications, turning radius, and ramp slope.
  4. Specific home modifications for adults with dementia.
  5. Key components that make a home "visitable."
  6. Products and equipment for the home that have universal design features that make them convenient and appealing for people of all ages and abilities.

Disaster Readiness, Response and Recovery

Essential

  1. The various ways that people receive disaster information.
  2. Disaster denials and strategies to use in overcoming them.
  3. Ways in which to provide clear and positive messages in disaster education.
  4. Message overload as it relates to disaster education.
  5. The proper method of demonstrating a family disaster preparation kit.
  6. How to devise a personal disaster evacuation plan.
  7. Proper ways to clean and sanitize and the differences between the two procedures.

Intermediate

  1. Ways to survive during a power outage, regardless of season.
  2. Issues related to utilities and water safety during a disaster.
  3. Home preparation for a disaster.
  4. Stressors for adults and children during a disaster.
  5. Ways to evaluate repair professionals and avoid consumer fraud.
  6. Methods of building or repair homes to resist disasters.

Housing and Community

Essential

  1. Collaboration and Involvement: Ways in which to locate and involve community members and all stakeholders in collaborative programming efforts.
  2. Basics of Housing needs assessment, programs and processes.
  3. The importance of recognizing diversity (e.g., race, ethnicity, national origin, language, religious beliefs) and its effect on potential programming.
  4. Understanding community capacity systems: human, social, built, and financial capitals.
  5. Understanding community civic structures that support housing and development.
  6. Housing & Poverty: The interrelationships among poverty, housing conditions, housing availability, and community socio-economic structures (i.e., employment, transportation, etc).

Intermediate

  1. The role of federal, state and local government in protecting consumers in the home: Fair housing, fire, building & housing codes, zoning and other regulations.
  2. The role of effective city and regional planning in relation to quality of life.
  3. The relationship between housing and community vitality.
  4. The role of Community capacity systems: the way each component functions to shape housing development and policy. Understand the capital imbalances that affect community development and housing rehabilitation/development processes.
  5. The various local and state agencies and resources available to address housing problems.
  6. Recognize the political, economic and social interests affecting housing and community development.

Advanced

  1. Federal, state, and local government programs that fund, regulate and address housing. Leveraging resources.
  2. The role of non-profit agencies in providing and advocating for housing and safety.
  3. The various local, area and state agencies and resources available to address housing problems.
  4. Asset Mapping: recognizing community assets and weaknesses.
  5. Advanced community involvement: identifying and engaging stakeholders in addressing local housing needs.
  6. Advanced collaboration: developing collaborative and other methods for assisting underserved people and communities.

Near Environment - General Concepts

Essential

  1. Access research-based environmental information.
  2. Access web-based environmental resources.
  3. Find information sources outside of the Cooperative Extension Service and universities (e.g., major organizations, government agencies) and discern the credibility of such sources.
  4. Discern the quality of information related to the environment in general.
  5. Definition and delivery of near environment concepts

Indoor Air Quality - General

Essential

  1. The most common indoor environmental contaminants.
  2. Sources of indoor environmental contaminants.
  3. How indoor air quality relates to human health and safety.

Intermediate

  1. Risk levels associated with indoor air contaminants.
  2. The relationship between indoor and outdoor environmental contaminants.
  3. The factors that cause a pollutant to affect health (e.g., toxicity, dosage/exposure, individual susceptibility-genetics, age, state of health).
  4. The proper use of a radon test kit.

Advanced

  1. Methods for removing or controlling indoor environmental contaminants.
  2. The role of professional remediators, how to select a remediation service, and how to determine when it is appropriate to use professional remediation.
  3. How to find additional resources relating to indoor air quality, particularly through related professionals.

IAQ - Mold and Moisture

Essential

  1. The implications of mold in the home.
  2. The relationship between relative humidity, air temperature, and air pressure. (moved to intermediate)
  3. The predominant methods of moisture movement (e.g., liquid flow, capillary action, vapor diffusion).
  4. The relationship between moisture, humidity, and mold growth.
  5. Environmental conditions conducive to mold growth.
  6. Recommended humidity levels for indoor spaces.

Intermediate

  1. The relationship between relative humidity, air temperature, and air pressure.
  2. Sources of moisture inside the home.
  3. Sources of moisture outside the home.
  4. Possible remedies for condensation.
  5. How to use and interpret a hygrometer.
  6. When it is appropriate to test or sample for mold.

Advanced

  1. Procedures of mold removal (proper use of equipment, spore containment, cleaning solutions).
  2. Methods of removing mold from non-porous surfaces and knowledge of what materials cannot be salvaged (carpet, drywall).
  3. Specialized means of moisture control (e.g., drainage control, vapor barriers).

IAQ - Environmental Asthma Triggers

Essential

  1. The signs, symptoms, and potential physical limitations associated with asthma.
  2. The role of health care professionals (e.g., physicians, school nurses) in diagnosing and controlling asthma.

Intermediate

  1. The most common environmental asthma triggers.
  2. How indoor and outdoor environments relate to asthma and asthma triggers.
  3. How outdoor asthma triggers are brought into the home.

Advanced

  1. Appropriate methods of preventing, reducing, and controlling environmental asthma triggers.
  2. Which professionals are potential sources of asthma education for consumers.
  3. When to refer consumers to appropriate professionals for additional education.

IAQ - Lead

Essential

  1. The effects of lead on human health, particularly that of children.
  2. The primary sources of lead in the home.
  3. The basic procedures involved in having children tested for elevated blood lead levels.

Intermediate

  1. The most common route of lead exposure for children.
  2. Ways to manage lead dust in the home environment (i.e., proper cleaning techniques).
  3. How our understanding of "harmful exposures" differs from criteria used in the 1970's.
  4. Recommendations for Lead testing.

Advanced

  1. The Disclosure Rule.
  2. The Lead-Based Paint Pre-Renovation Education Rule.


Housing Sustainability & Building Practices

Essential

  1. Resources used in the construction, operation, and maintenance of homes.
  2. The basic components of a sustainable house and a sustainable near environment.
  3. Lifecycle costs vs. initial costs (long-term energy savings/higher purchase or installation price).
  4. Active and passive systems.
  5. Home radon mitigation systems.
  6. How housing sustainability may affect the comfort level of the home environment.
  7. How new technologies may require greater levels of monitoring or input in order to maintain higher levels of energy efficiency (e.g., programmable thermostats).

Intermediate

  1. The impact of home construction, operation, and maintenance resources on the environment.
  2. The obstacles faced by builders in adopting new technologies, methods, and products.

Advanced

  1. Energy consumption patterns in the U.S. and how these patterns compare to consumption patterns in other countries.
  2. Understand the different fuel sources (water, fossil fuels, wood, and other natural resources) in the U.S., where they come from, how they reach the point of use, and how to compare fuel sources on a cost per Btu (British thermal unit) basis.


Energy, Water & Waste Management

Essential

  1. Simple and inexpensive ways to achieve greater energy efficiency in the home.
  2. Simple and inexpensive ways to conserve water in the home.
  3. The rising cost of energy and how it relates to energy conservation.
  4. The growing demand for safe drinking water and how it relates to water conservation.
  5. The basic steps in treating and supplying household water through a public water system.
  6. Waste water disposal basics: septic tanks, municipal sewer systems.
  7. Waste reduction strategies of reduce, reuse and recycle.

Intermediate

  1. Issues facing users of private water supplies (e.g., wells) and the necessity for proper well siting, use, maintenance, and testing by the user.
  2. Potential water contaminants, particularly those most commonly found in wells (e.g., nitrate, pesticides, arsenic).
  3. Ways in which size, scale, and other design features affect the energy efficiency of home appliances.
  4. The benefits of using Energy Star® certified products.
  5. How to read and understand a water system consumer confidence report.
  6. Waste water disposal systems available: advantages and disadvantages.
  7. Preferred disposal methods for household waste, including potentially hazardous products such as chemicals and medication.

Advanced

  1. Common methods of home water treatment.
  2. The effects of energy production on the environment and their relation to health and conservation.
  3. The contributions of actions in around the home to polluted storm water runoff.
  4. Waste water systems: maintenance, proper design and effects on the environment.
  5. The effects of household waste disposal methods (land filling, incineration, etc.) on the environment.


Children's Environmental Health & Housing

Essential

  1. The most common children's environmental health issues.

Intermediate

  1. The relationship between environmental contaminants and their effects on children's health.

Advanced

  1. Appropriate recommendations to prevent, reduce, and control environmental contaminants affecting children's health.
  2. The potential environmental health impacts from indoor environments where children spend time away from home, including child care facilities and schools.

Welcome to Housing & Environment Module Development

To all team members: Here is the last version of the core competencies we will use for module development. These were reviewed and updated during our fly-in meeting in Atlanta, May 30-June 1, 2006. Please review these and become familiar with them. The overall module development chair is Dr. Sarah Kirby. Jorge Atiles is your advisor.

Retrieved from "http://agrilifewiki.tamu.edu/index.php/Southernregion:HE"