Funding News

Nearly $140 Million was awarded to 36 state and local government agencies in 19 states by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to protect children and families from lead-based paint hazards and other health hazards troubling people.

These grants are provided by HUD via its Lead-based Paint Hazard Reduction grant program and Lead Hazard Reduction Capacity Building grant Program to identify and clean dangerous lead hazards including other HUD health and safety hazards in clean homes. HUD’s Healthy Homes Supplemental Funding has granted more than $10 Million to help communities with housing-related health hazards, safety hazards and lead-based paint hazards.

The main purpose of these investments is to protect children and families by controlling lead and health hazards in 3400 low-income homes devoid of any resources. The Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction grant program consists of two competitive grant categories: seven Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control grants open to local governments and most states, and 21 Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration grants open to local governments with a significant number of older homes, which are more likely to contain lead-based paint hazards, as well as most states. Eight smaller competitive grants will also be given to state or local governments that do not have grants so that they can develop the infrastructure and capacity to undertake larger programs in the coming years.

HUD’s Secretary, Marcia L. Fudge, stated that “the funding provided today will enable communities to make the homes of families of limited means healthier, and improve their children’s school attendance rate, learning, and, eventually, job prospects.” Matthew Ammon, Director of HUD’s Office of Lead Hazard Control, believes that these grants are a testament to HUD’s commitment to providing healthy and safe homes for everyone.

These grants align with HUD’s strategic objective of strengthening environmental justice by reducing exposure to health risks, environmental hazards, and substandard housing, with a particular focus on benefiting low-income households and communities of color.