VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN ANNOUNCES NEARLY $4 MILLION IN RECOVERY ACT FUNDS TO CLEAN UP DANGEROUS LEAD IN HOUSING IN HARRIS COUNTY AND GALVESTON
Grants to protect children, create healthy housing and create jobs

FORT WORTH - Vice President Joe Biden today announced that HUD is making nearly $100 million in Recovery Act funding available across the county to help eliminate dangerous lead-based paint and other health and safety
hazards from low-income homes, including grants to Harris County and Galveston totaling $3,871,327. Nationally,
53 programs in 20 states and the District of Columbia were awarded grants to protect young children from lead poisoning and create "green" collar jobs.

HUD Deputy Secretary Ronald Sims joined Vice President Joe Biden in Los Angeles to make the national
announcement.

"In making these grants available today, the Department is acknowledging the importance of healthy homes and protecting our children from dangerous lead hazards," said Deputy Secretary Sims. "And not only will this program contribute to healthy, safe homes for all children and families, which is a top priority for HUD, but it will also support shovel-ready projects that are essential to getting Americans back to work and fixing the nation's economic crisis quickly and efficiently."

Funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act), which was signed into law
by President Obama on February 17, the grants to States and local governments are being offered by HUD's Office
of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control. The recipients of these Recovery Act grants were qualified applicants
in the FY08 funding cycle but were not initially awarded grants because of the limited number of funds available at that time. The grants will contribute to President Obama's mission under the Recovery Act to create and sustain
jobs and jumpstart the nation's economy.

Harris County was awarded $871, 327 in federal funding under the Healthy Homes Demonstration grant program for the Harris County Safe and Healthy Homes Demonstration Program in low-income neighborhoods in Aldine, Galena
Park, and Cloverleaf. The County will leverage $216,528 in local resources for the program. Over the next three
years, the program will remediate 90 houses of housing-related causes of unintentional injuries and asthma, train 60 volunteers to conduct in-home assessments, and educate 900 homeowners to recognize and correct health and safety issues in their homes.

Contact: Ms. Patricia A. Brill, Ph.D., Program Manager, (713) 439-6294.

The City of Galveston was awarded $3,000,000 in federal funding under the Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control
grant program to make 180 units safe from lead-based paint hazards. The Lead Safe Environment Program that will utilize a cost effective approach to control lead-based paint hazards in. The Program will educate the community about the dangers of lead-based paint and ensure appropriate clinical follow-up on children with elevated blood
levels. The Program will provide community outreach venues, distribute lead paint educational materials, screen children for lead poisoning, provide lead safe work practice trainings to contractors, maintenance workers, homeowners, landlords and interested persons and develop a registry of lead-safe housing.

The Recovery Act includes $13.61 billion for projects and programs administered by HUD, nearly 75 percent of which was allocated to state and local recipients only eight days after President Obama signed the Act into law. The remaining 25 percent of funds will be awarded through a competitive grant process in the coming months. HUD is committed to implementing Recovery Act investments swiftly, but also effectively as they generate tens of
thousands of jobs, modernize homes to make them energy efficient, and help the families and communities hardest
hit by the economic crisis.

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