Healthier Homes = Healthier Kids

For more than a quarter-century, the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) has played a major role in eradicating lead-paint poisoning and making health-focused home improvements to give children a healthier start in life.

When GHHI hosted a major back-to-school event in Baltimore to focus attention on the critical link between conditions in the home and children’s performance in school, the organization turned to The Hatcher Group to handle media outreach. The event featured federal housing Secretary Julian Castro, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, two members of Congress, the president of Johns Hopkins University and leading civic figures.

On a tight timeline, The Hatcher Group worked with GHHI, federal and local elected officials and Hopkins staff to develop messaging and media materials to attract coverage. Sustained media pitching and follow-up generated attendance by seven media outlets, including The New York Times, Baltimore Sun and Daily Record.

The prominent coverage refocused attention on the issues facing too many low-income families living in unhealthy and unsafe homes and the harm that does to children’s futures.