HUD AWARDS $101 MILLION TO PROTECT CHILDREN AND FAMILIES FROM DANGEROUS LEAD AND OTHER HOME HAZARDS

HUD AWARDS $101 MILLION TO PROTECT CHILDREN AND FAMILIES FROM DANGEROUS LEAD AND OTHER HOME HAZARDS

Funding to make more than 6,000 homes safer and healthier places to live

WASHINGTON – In an effort to protect children and families from potentially dangerous lead-based paint and other health and safety hazards, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded over $101 million to 32 city, county and state governments. The grant funding announced will reduce the number of lead-poisoned children and protect families by targeting health hazards in over 6,000 low-income homes with significant lead and/or other home health and safety hazards (see chart below).Read a summary of each of the grants announced today.

Earlier this week in Baltimore, MD, HUD Secretary Julián Castro announced the funding during a news conference with Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake as part of the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative Back to School event, promoting healthier housing to improve school outcomes. The City of Baltimore is one of the grantees.

HUD's Lead Hazard Control grant programs has a demonstrated history of success, filling critical needs in urban communities where no other resources exist to address substandard housing that threatens the health of the most vulnerable residents.

As HUD marks its 50^th anniversary, Secretary Castro is focused on advancing policies that create opportunities for all Americans, including helping children and families secure quality housing by protecting them from the hazards of lead-based paint and other home health and safety hazards.

"Every family deserves to live in a safe and healthy home where they can see their children thrive and excel," said Castro. "Communities will use these grants to help eliminate home-related hazards in neighborhoods across the country. A healthy home is vital to the American Dream."

"Millions of families and children are seeing their hope for the future threatened by poor healthsimply because of where they live," noted Matthew E. Ammon, Director of HUD's Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes. "While we've made tremendous progress reducing lead-based paint hazards in our older housing stock, far too many children continue to be exposed to potentially dangerous lead and other health hazards in the home."

Unsafe and unhealthy homes affect the health of millions of people of all income levels, geographic areas, and walks of life in the U.S. These unsafe and unhealthy homes affect the economy directly, through increased utilization of health care services, and indirectly through lost wages and increased school days missed. Housing improvements help prevent injuries and illnesses, reduce associated health care and social services costs, reduce absentee rates for children in school and adults at work, and reduce stress, all which help to improve the quality of life.

HUD's Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes promotes local efforts to eliminate dangerous lead paint and other housing-related health hazards from lower income homes; stimulate private sector investment in lead hazard control; support cutting-edge research on methods for assessing and controlling housing-related health and safety hazards; and educate the public about the dangers of hazards in the home.

The funding announced here directs critical funds to cities, counties and states to eliminate dangerous lead paint and other housing-related health hazards in thousands of privately-owned, low-income housing units. HUD is also providing the grantees over $8.8 million in Healthy Homes supplemental funding to help communities mitigate multiple health hazards in high risk housing simultaneously,in conjunction with their lead hazard control activities.

The following is a state-by-state breakdown of the funding announced today:

State	Recipient	Award Amount
California	City of Long Beach	$3,231,609
	City of Huntington Park	$1,676,997
Connecticut	City of New Haven	$3,231,610
	City of Waterbury	$3,231,610
	State of Connecticut	$3,714,272
Iowa	City of Dubuque	$3,230,815
	City of Sioux City	$2,662,175
Illinois	County of Peoria	$3,231,610
Massachusetts	City of Boston	$3,231,610
	City of Fitchburg	$3,231,610
	City of Gloucester	$1,285,280
	City of Worcester	$3,714,272
Maryland	City of Baltimore	$3,714,272
Michigan	State of Michigan	$3,231,610
Minnesota	Hennepin County	$3,714,272
Nebraska	City of Omaha	$2,232,839
New Hampshire	City of Manchester	$2,905,091
New York	Broome County	$3,231,610
	Chautauqua County	$2,217,833
	City of New York	$3,714,272
	City of Rochester	$3,714,272
Ohio	City of Akron	$3,714,272
	City of Cleveland	$3,714,272
	Cuyahoga County	$3,231,610
	State of Ohio	$3,231,610
Pennsylvania	County of Lawrence	$3,231,610
	City of Harrisburg	$3,714,272
	City of Philadelphia	$3,714,272
Tennessee	City of Memphis	$3,714,272
Texas	Harris County	$3,121,033
	City of Houston	$2,905,078
Vermont	Vermont Housing and Conservation Board	$3,231,148
TOTAL		$101,872,990

 

LBPHC = Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control Grant Program
LHRD = Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration Grant Program

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HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all.
More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet
at www.hud.gov and http://espanol.hud.gov.