Memphis Awarded $3.7 Million to Protect Children and Families from Lead and Other Home Hazards

Left to right: Congressman Steve Cohen 9th District, John Gemmill HUD Memphis Field Office Director, Mayor A C Wharton and HUD Regional Administrator Ed Jennings, Jr.

Congressman Cohen, Memphis Mayor Wharton and HUD Regional Administrator Jennings, Jr.

HUD's Region IV Administrator, Ed Jennings, Jr. and Office of Lead Hazard Reduction/Healthy Homes (OLHCHH) Director Matt Ammon, joined Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) and Memphis Mayor A C Wharton to present a symbolic HUD check for over $3,700,000. This is the City of Memphis's seventh such grant and the presentation Tuesday recognized the success of Memphis's program over the years. The grant will pay for the inspection of over 1200 homes and the removal of lead hazards in about 250 homes. The City works closely with its partners in the Shelby County Department of Health, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and numerous nonprofits in Memphis. One standout accomplishment of the Memphis programs is the training of over 22 contractors to perform lead abatement activities. Several of the contractors were present at Tuesday's event.

The program is available to low-income citizens in targeted zip codes. It also focuses on rental properties, especially important in a city where the majority of low-income residents rent their homes. The program is administered by the City's Division of Housing and Community Development which can be reached at (901) 636-7300.

"Due to the excellent work of the City and its partners, thousands of children in Memphis can run faster, think smarter and dream bigger," said Jennings.

"These grants are an investment in our children's futures. As public servants, we have no greater responsibility than to leave our kids a world that is better than what our parents gave us," Matt Ammon, Director, OLHCHH.

Over $101 million was awarded to 32 city, county and state governments by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in an effort to protect children and families from potentially dangerous lead-based paint and other health and safety hazards. The HUD Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes provides funds to state and local governments to develop cost-effective ways to reduce lead-based paint hazards. In addition, the office enforces HUD's lead-based paint regulations, provides public outreach and technical assistance, and conducts technical studies to help protect children and their families from health and safety hazards in the home.

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