HUD AWARDS NEARLY $45 MILLION ACROSS OHIO TO PROTECT FAMILIES
Grants to make low-income housing safer and healthier announced during National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week include $5.6 million to Summit County and $4.6 million to the City of Akron
City of Akron Press Release
From the desk of HUD Public Affairs
Published: 10-24-2019
AKRON, Ohio – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) continued its Midwest celebration of National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week with the announcement of $5.6 million to Summit County and $4.6 million to the City of Akron as part of nearly $45 million awarded across the State of Ohio to protect children and families from lead-based paint and home health hazards.
The awards were announced during National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, Oct. 20-26, an annual national public health education campaign that brings lead poisoning prevention into focus. It comes soon after HUD awarded more than $314 million to 77 state and local government agencies for lead hazard reduction and healthy homes hazards, and $2 million to research organizations for lead safety research. HUD also awarded $5 million to address home health and safety hazards in six tribal communities, and $6 million for research on improving ways to identify and control these hazards in all homes. Many of the grantees announced will work to clean up lead hazards in Opportunity Zones.
Summit County will use the $5.6 million to address lead hazards in 225 housing units providing safer homes for low and very low-income families with children. The County will also perform healthy homes assessments in 200 units and work with other medical and social service providers.
The City of Akron will use the 4.6 million to address lead hazards in 250 housing units, perform healthy homes assessments in 115 units, and work with other medical and social service providers.
“We are committed to improving the lives of all families, especially children, by creating safer and healthier homes,” said Secretary Ben Carson. “One of HUD’s priorities is protecting families from lead-based paint and other health hazards. These grants will help states, tribes, and local communities do precisely that.”
“We at HUD understand the importance of the intersection between health and housing and are deeply committed to protecting families and children across the City of Akron, Summit County and the State of Ohio so they can reach their God-given potential,” said HUD Midwest Regional Administrator Joseph P. Galvan. “We are proud to make this funding announcement and support the community as we recognize the importance of National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week; for homes built before 1978, getting homes and children tested for lead are the vital next steps.”
“During Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, we focus our efforts on educating local families of the devastating effects lead exposure continues to have on children, including stunted mental and physical development. For low-income Akron families living in homes built before 1978 – the year lead-based paint was banned for residential use—this HUD grant can be used to remove lead hazards, and provide our youngest residents a safer place to grow and thrive. By investing in healthier homes for our children, we are investing in the future of our community,” said Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan.
“Summit County Public Health (SCPH) is committed to protecting and improving the public health of our residents. The HUD $5.6 million lead grant will offer SCPH the opportunity to protect our most vulnerable citizens from lead-based paint and its health effects. We are proud to partner with the City of Akron and other Summit County medical and social service providers to address the issue of lead hazards in homes,” said Donna Skoda Health Commissioner, Summit County Public Health.
The Lead Based Paint Hazard Reduction Program grants include $30 million in HUD’s Healthy Homes Supplemental funding to help communities address housing-related health and safety hazards, in addition to lead-based paint hazards. Seven local communities were awarded grants to help their ‘High Impact Neighborhood’ where they will conduct lead hazard control and healthy homes work intensively in a targeted neighborhood impacted by poor housing conditions. HUD’s new tribal grants fill critical needs in communities where limited resources exist to address substandard housing that threatens the health of the most vulnerable tribal residents.
Combined, these investments will protect families and children by targeting health hazards in more than 14,700 low-income homes with significant lead and health hazards for which other resources are not available to address these needs.
“HUD understands the close connection between health and housing,” said Matthew Ammon, Director of HUD’s Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes. “This year, HUD is awarding a record number of awards to jurisdictions to directly support their efforts to identify and clean up housing-based health hazards like lead and mold.”
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; stimulates private sector investment in lead hazard control; supports cutting-edge research on methods for assessing and controlling housing-related health and safety hazards; and educates the public about the dangers of hazards in the home. Read a complete project-by-project summary of the programs awarded grants. The state-by-state breakdown of the funding announced is available here.
HUD’s Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) joined together to develop the Partner Information Toolkit, which has many outreach resources, and suggestions for outreach techniques, all aimed at mobilizing community action for National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week and beyond.
Lead Based Paint Hazard Reduction Program
| Ohio Grantees | Lead Hazard Control | Healthy Homes | Total Amount |
| City of Cleveland + | $9,100,000 | $600,000 | $9,700,000 |
| Mahoning County | $4,000,000 | $600,000 | $4,600,000 |
| County of Erie | $3,478,430 | $350,000 | $3,828,430 |
| City of Canton | $3,000,000 | $300,000 | $3,300,000 |
| City of Akron+ | $4,000,000 | $600,000 | $4,600,000 |
| City of Lima | $2,000,000 | $0 | $2,000,000 |
| City of Columbus | $5,000,000 | $600,000 | $5,600,000 |
| Cuyahoga County+ | $5,000,000 | $600,000 | $5,600,000 |
| Summit County+ | $5,000,000 | $600,000 | $5,600,000 |
| OHIO TOTAL | $40,578,430 | $4,250,000 | $44,828,430 |
| NATIONAL TOTAL | $283,874,569 | $30,382,290 | $314,256,859 |
+ Located in an Opportunity Zone
For further information, contact:
Gina Rodriguez
Phone: (312) 860-3138
E-mail: [email protected]
