HUD
No. 03-094 Adam Glantz (212) 264-1100 |
For
Release Thursday October 2, 2003 |
MARTINEZ ANNOUNCES $147 MILLION TO PROTECT CHILDREN AND
FAMILIES FROM DANGEROUS LEAD AND OTHER HOME HEALTH AND SAFETY HAZARDS
City of Syracuse to receive over $3 Million
WASHINGTON - Thousands of children and families in 27 states
and the District of Columbia will live in healthier
homes due to
more than $147 million in grants announced today by Housing and
Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez. Martinez made today's
record funding announcement to officially launch National Healthy
Homes Month during October.
The grants will help 70 local programs around the country to remove
potentially dangerous lead from lower income homes; to stimulate
private sector investment in lead hazard control; to educate the
public about the dangers of lead-based paint; to fund model programs
promoting healthier and safer home environments; and, to support
scientific research into innovative methods of identifying and eliminating
health hazards in housing (see attached
list).
"Whether it's eliminating lead hazards in housing or studying new ways to make our homes healthier, the funds we announce today are all designed to protect our most precious resource - our children," said Martinez. "Today we continue HUD's investment in making our homes a healthier and safer place for parents to raise their kids."
Lead Hazard Control Grant Programs
The funding announced today includes $124 million to eliminate
dangerous lead paint hazards in thousands of
privately owned, low-income
housing units. These funds are provided through HUD's Lead-Based
Paint Hazard
Control and the Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration
grant programs
In addition, HUD's Operation LEAP (Lead Elimination Action Program)
will provide $9.9 million to stimulate private sector contributions
that will enable children to grow up in homes that are free from
lead-based paint hazards. HUD will also award $2.4 million in Lead
Outreach grants to support public education campaigns on the hazards
of lead-based paint and what parents, building owners and others
can do to protect children. Further, $2.8 million will
assist local
research institutions to study ways to drive down the cost and increase
the effectiveness of lead
hazard identification and control.
HUD's lead hazard control program is working. Today, the Department
estimates that 26 million fewer homes have lead-based paint compared
to 1990 when the program began. Last year, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention reported that the average amount of lead
in children's blood has declined by 50 percent from a decade ago.
Ten years ago, there was no federal funding for local lead hazard
control work in privately owned housing;
today, the HUD program
is active in over 250 communities across the country.
Healthy Homes Initiative
HUD's Healthy Homes Initiative builds upon the Department's existing activities in housing-related health and safety issues - including lead hazard control, building structural safety, electrical safety, and fire protection - to address multiple childhood diseases and injuries in the home. The Initiative takes a holistic approach to these activities by addressing housing-related hazards in a coordinated fashion, rather than addressing a single hazard at a time.
Included in the funding announced today is more than $5.9 million
in demonstration grants to help local communities identify and eliminate
housing conditions that contribute to children's disease and injury,
such as asthma, lead poisoning, mold exposure, and carbon monoxide
contamination. HUD is also providing more than $2 million in
technical
studies grants to support scientific research into innovative methods
of identifying and eliminating health hazards in housing.
The following is a breakdown of the nationwide funding announced today:
Lead Hazard Control |
$74,440,466
|
Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration |
$49,675,000
|
Operation LEAP |
$9,935,000
|
Lead Outreach |
$2,402,972
|
Healthy Homes Demonstration |
$5,916,355
|
Healthy Homes Technical Studies |
$2,009,272
|
Lead Technical Studies |
$2,874,123
|
Total |
$147,253,188
|
Below is a description of the City of Syracuse's awards:
FY 2003 Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration Grant
City of Syracuse, New York
The City of Syracuse will be awarded $2,600,000 to complement their
ongoing efforts in eliminating or controlling
lead-based paint hazards
in the city. The Syracuse Department of community Development will
also partner with
the Onondaga County Health Department and community-based
organizations in implementing this program. The
goals for the lead
hazard reduction grant program will be to provide additional lead-safe
housing in low to very low income target areas, decreasing the number
of children with elevated blood lead levels, improving the living environment for families, and
continuing lead education to at-risk families. Approximately 350
pre-1940 rental
housing units will be targeted for lead hazard control
work.
FY 2003 Healthy Homes Demonstration Grant
NY Indoor Environmental Quality Center, Inc.
City of Syracuse, New York
The NY Indoor Environmental Quality Center, Inc., in collaboration
with the State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University,
SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry, Cornell University,
Carrier
Corporation, OP-TECH Environmental Service, C&S Engineers,
New York State Energy and Research & Development Authority,
Central NY Chapter of the American Lung Association, Onondaga County
Health Department, Rosenthal & Chadwick, Metropolitan Development
Association, InterReligious Council, Southwest Community Center
and Girls,
Inc., will be awarded $850,000 to perform 120 healthy
homes assessments in the homes of asthmatic children. The objective
of the project is to correlate clinically significant improvements
in respiratory health with the intervention. Intervention strategies
include steam cleaning, installing air filtration devices and providing
impermeable mattress covers for bedding, as well as Integrated Pest
Management services. The project team will train residents in good
cleaning practices and other interventions, such as reducing Environmental
Tobacco Smoke.
HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership,
particularly among minorities, creating affordable housing opportunities
for low-income Americans, supporting the homeless, elderly, people
with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also
promotes economic and community development as well as
enforces
the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its
programs is available on the Internet.
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