BHA has already initiated some of the capital improvements and maintenance programs that will be studied, and BHA spokesperson Kate Bennett said that the outcome of this study will “define new procedures and protocols that specifically address resident health.”

Tenants have given positive feedback for the project’s potential to improve the quality of life, according to Bennett.

Douglas M. Brugge, an assistant professor at the Tufts School of Medicine and co-director of the study, commented that this is a rare but extraordinary example of collaboration of both academia and community services.

“There is definitely room [for collaboration] within the natural competition for grants [among schools],” said Brugge.

“It is important that this study is not only between universities but also city agencies and community groups.”

Community education is also part of the study, its leaders say. For many of thhe tenants who were trained as surveyors, this project brought them into the work force and taught them to identify household agents that can trigger asthma.

The other collaborators in the project include the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC), South Boston Community Health Center and several other community groups and commercial sponsors.

Margaret Reed, Director of the BPHC’s Asthma Prevention and Control Program, said the commission has already devoted significant resources to protect the public health of the residents of Boston, with special attention to vulnerable populations in inner-city communities.

The project received nearly $2 million in funding from the Department of Housing Urban Development, the Boston Foundation, and the Jesse B. Cox Charitable Trust.