For most of us, home is a place of warmth and comfort.  But for Elizabeth Gonzalez and her three children, home is a dangerous.

“Cockroaches scurry across the walls and floor. Elizabeth has tried to get rid of them, but they keep coming back—through the electric outlets and from under the sink, where leaking pipes create a black sludge. Her floor is wet, her walls damp and moldy. Garbage bags stacked in the living room keep the family’s possessions dry. Despite multiple complaints, no work has been done to make things better.”

That is how a National Geographic reporter described Elizabeth’s apartment in a recent article about Asthma in East Harlem.

Elizabeth and her three children all have asthma, made worse by asthma triggers in their home that she has not been able to control on her own – mold, moisture, and roaches.

“I’m happy to have a roof over my head, but this apartment is keeping us sick,” Elizabeth told reporters.

That’s where LSA came in.

LSA’s Environmental Health Services team helped remove some of the mold, loaned her an air filter, and showed her ways to improve the air quality in her apartment.  We also helped her work with her landlord to get much needed repairs.

With LSA’s help, Elizabeth’s family is on their way to having a safe and healthy home.

Join us in helping more families like Elizabeth’s!
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