HUD SECRETARY JACKSON ANNOUNCES $139 MILLION TO PROTECT THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES FROM DANGEROUS LEAD AND OTHER HOME HAZARDS
Lynchburg and Virginia Department of Housing & Community Development Win Almost $6 Million in HUD Lead Hazard Control Grants to Make Low-Income Housing Safer and Healthier

WASHINGTON - Thousands of children and families in 26 states will live in healthier and safer homes because of
more than $139 million in grants announced today by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson. The grants will help 62 local projects around the country to conduct a wide range of activities including cleaning
up lead-based paint hazards and improving living conditions of lower income families (see attached chart).

The City of Lynchburg received $2,998,991 and the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development
won $3 million in Lead Hazard Control grants. The grants were awarded competitively as a result of HUD's 2005
Notice of Funding Availability.

"Families need a safe and healthy home to raise their kids," said Secretary Jackson. "The funding we announce
today supports programs that protect children from a variety of health and safety hazards and represents another step toward ending childhood lead poisoning once and for all."

HUD's Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control administers the Lead Hazard Control program and promotes local efforts to eliminate dangerous lead from lower income homes; stimulates private sector investment in lead
hazard control; educates the public about the dangers of lead-based paint; funds model programs that promote healthier and safer home environments; and, supports scientific research into innovative methods to identify and eliminate health hazards in housing.

The funding announced today includes nearly $123 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 $4 million to encourage private sector contributions that will enable children
to grow up in homes that are free from lead-based paint hazards. HUD will also award $2.3 million in Lead Outreach grants for public education campaigns on what parents, building owners and others can do to protect children. Further, nearly $1.7 million will assist research to study methods to reduce the cost and increase the effectiveness
of lead hazard control strategies.

The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development will use its $3,000,000 Lead Hazard Control grant
to produce 100 lead safe homes/rental units, through its Department of Housing and Community Development, in
12 communities and counties in Virginia. Virginia will target properties that have been identified by the Virginia Department of Health as the possible source of lead poisoning. The homes being made lead-safe will protect an estimated 150 children from lead hazard conditions. The program will provided lead hazard control in single and
multi-family properties, provide medical lead screening for eligible children under six years of age, conduct poisoning prevention education and training for households in the targeted localities, and conduct training to expand the
pools of trained workers to perform lead hazard control activities. The program will provide training for 50 individuals
in lead hazard control as well as 10 lead awareness sessions throughout Virginia. The State will provide $428,111 in matching and/or contributions.

The City of Lynchburg will use its $2,998,991 in Lead Hazard Control funds to produce 180 lead-safe housing units through its Department of Community Planning and Development. The lead hazard control program will concentrate activities in the central city, the area of highest risk. The central city includes eight census tracts that have the highest degree of housing problems and the areas in which most of the city's low-income and moderate-income persons reside. The City of Lynchburg will provide $692,237 in matching and/or contributions. Contact: L. Kimball Payne III, City Manager (434) 455-3990

The funding announced today also includes nearly $6 million in Healthy Homes demonstration grants to 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 investing more than $2.5 million to support scientific research into new ways of identifying and eliminating health hazards in housing.

HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and 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 and espanol.hud.gov.

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