HUD AWARDS $112 MILLION TO PROTECT CHILDREN AND FAMILIES FROM DANGEROUS LEAD AND OTHER HOME HAZARDS
Funding to make low-income housing safer and healthier

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded more than $112 million in grants to 39 local and state government agenciesand research institutions  to protect children and families from the hazards of lead-based paint and from other home health and safety hazards (see chart below).

The grant funding announced today will reduce the number of lead-poisoned children and protect families by targeting health hazards in nearly 7,000 low-income homes with significant lead and/or other home health and safety hazards. In addition, some of these grants will support research on increasing the effectiveness of hazard reduction methods. These programs have a demonstrated history of success, filling critical needs in communities where no other resources exist to address substandard housing that threatens the health of the most vulnerable residents, and filling research gaps essential for being able to reduce hazard reduction costs.

As HUD approaches its 50th anniversary next year, HUD Secretary Julián Castro is focused on advancing policies that create opportunities for all Americans, including helping children and families secure quality housing by protecting them from the hazards of lead-based paint and other home health and safety hazards.

"No person should ever be in harm's way when cooking dinner in their kitchen or playing with children in the living room," said Castro. "These grant awards will help communities eliminate home-related hazards and give families new opportunities to thrive. Housing is a critical source of stability, and HUD is committed to helping ensure that all Americans have a healthy safe place to live."

"Millions of families and children are seeing their hope for the future threatened by poor healthsimply because of where they live," noted Matthew E. Ammon, Acting Director of HUD's Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes. "Every child deserves to grow up in a healthy home and yet far too many continue to be exposed to potentially dangerous lead and other health hazards in the home."

Unsafe and unhealthy homes affect the health of millions of people of all income levels, geographic areas, and walks of life in the U.S. These unsafe and unhealthy homes affect the economy directly, through increased utilization of health care services, and indirectly through lost wages and increased school days missed. Housing improvements help prevent injuries and illnesses, reduce associated health care and social services costs, reduce absentee rates for children in school and adults at work, and reduce stress, all which help to improve the quality of life.

The following is a breakdown of the funding announced today by grant program:

* This includes the $11,402,967 HUD is awarding to assist in the promotion and development of programs to concurrently identify and address multiple housing-related health hazards with lead hazard control intervention work.

HUD's Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes promotes local efforts to eliminate dangerous lead paint and other housing-related health hazards from lower income homes; stimulate private sector investment in lead hazard control; support cutting-edge research on methods for assessing and controlling housing-related health and safety hazards; and educate the public about the dangers of hazards in the home. Read a complete project-by-project summary of the programs awarded grants today.

The funding announced today directs critical funds to cities, counties and states to eliminate dangerous lead paint and other housing-related health hazards in thousands of privately-owned, low-income housing units. HUD is also providing over $11.4 million to help communities mitigate multiple health hazards in high risk housing simultaneously,in conjunction with their lead hazard control activities.

Today's funding also directs funds to public and private universities and research organizations to improve methods to detect lead paint in the home, assess the effectiveness of lead laws, improve home fall protection for the elderly, improve sustainable pest management strategies, evaluate the health effects of smoke-free policies, and assess home air cleaning in reducing childhood asthma.

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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 http://espanol.hud.gov. You can also follow HUD on twitter @HUDGov, on facebook at www.facebook.com/HUD, or sign up for news alerts on HUD's Email List.

The following is a state-by-state breakdown of the funding announced today:

*Grant program abbreviations are as follows:

HHTS - Healthy Homes Technical Studies

LBPHC - Lead Based Paint Hazard Control Grant Program
             (includes Healthy Homes Initiative supplemental funding, as applicable)

LHRD - Lead Based Paint Hazard Reduction Demonstration Grant Program
           (includes Healthy Homes Initiative supplemental funding, as applicable)

LTS - Lead Technical Studies