HUD AWARDS $4.1 MILLION IN GRANTS TO REDUCE HEALTH AND SAFETY HAZARDS IN MINNESOTA HOMES
Funding will remove or reduce health and safety hazards in homes

CHICAGO - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today awarded $4.1 million in grants to children and families living in Minnesota from health and safety hazards in their homes. The grants will support efforts to control asthma and allergy triggers such as mold, moisture, mitigate safety hazards in homes, and improve energy efficiency. Grants will also support research to advance methods for hazard reduction.

The grant funding announced today is part of $18 million HUD is awarding nationwide to clean up health hazards in thousands of homes, train workers, and increase public awareness about reducing and preventing health hazards in their homes.

"HUD is committed to providing healthy and safe homes as part of our mission to help make the nation's housing more healthy and sustainable," said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. "These grants will help communities to protect families and children from significant health and safety hazards."

"The safety and well-being of families is a top priority for HUD," said Antonio R. Riley, HUD's Midwest Regional Administrator. "We are doing everything in our power to ensure the family home is the healthy sanctuary it should be for Minnesota families."

Grant summaries:

Hennepin County will be awarded $1,860,000 in Healthy Homes Production Grant Program funds to enroll and assess 200 units for health hazards and complete hazard remediation in 150 units. Hennepin County will also participate in 30 educational events, and provide training to 30 individuals. Hennepin County will partner with Sustainable Resources Center and a network of rehabilitation agencies, public health agencies, and community based organizations, weatherization agencies, and code compliance agencies.

The City of Minneapolis will be awarded $1,860,000 in Healthy Homes Production Grant Program funds to produce 525 units of housing that are safer and healthier through reduction of home hazards. Education and outreach will be provided to 10,000 members of the public. Fifty individuals will be trained as "green workers" and implement cost-effective, site-based hazard evaluations and interventions in privately-owned and rental properties where low and very-low income individuals reside. The City will partner with Sustainable Resources Center, Minnesota Visiting Nurse Agency, Neighborhood Housing Services, Senior Ombudsman's Office, HandyWorks, Center for Energy and Environment, Urban Homeworks, Resources for Child Caring, Preventing Harm MN, Northside Achievement Zone, Santo Rosario Church, and The Minnesota Department of Health Indoor Air Unit.

The Minnesota Department of Health will be awarded $409,288 in Asthma Interventions in Public and Assisted Multifamily Housing Grant funds. The grantee will partner with local public health departments and others with environmental expertise to reduce environmental asthma triggers in the homes of children with asthma. These homes will be in public and assisted multifamily housing in up to six jurisdictions. The objectives for this project include improving the health outcomes for children with asthma by improving asthma management and reducing or eliminating environmental triggers of asthma in the home as well as increasing the number of local public health staff who are trained to both provide in-home asthma medical management and conduct environmental assessments for asthma triggers.

Total amount for Minnesota: $4,129,288

The funding announced today will go to cities, counties, states and universities to eliminate dangerous health and other safety hazards in thousands of privately-owned, low-income housing units. These funds are provided through HUD's Healthy Homes Production (HHP), Lead and Healthy Homes Technical Studies (LTS, HHTS), and Asthma Interventions in Public and Assisted Multifamily Housing (AIPAMH) grant programs.

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HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov. You can also follow HUD on Twitter at @HUDnews or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HUD, or sign up for news alerts on HUD's News Listserv.