The City of Muscatine was awarded $2,556,932 in Lead Hazard Reduction Grant Program funding and $400,000 in Healthy Homes Supplemental funding by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) according to Jodi Royal-Goodwin, Community Development Director for the City of Muscatine. This is the first time that the City of Muscatine applied for these funds and is just one of four municipalities in Iowa that received grants.
The program will focus on creating safer homes where children live and visit in Ignite Vitality: Mulberry Neighborhood (Census Tract 508). The City will partner with Muscatine County Public Health, Muscatine Community College and local contractors to assess and abate the presence of lead surfaces and other environmental hazards in 65 housing units over the next 3 years.
In addition to funding to undertake abatement activities, the grant includes resources to purchase necessary testing equipment and train workers on assessment and lead safe-work practices.
The City of Marshalltown, City of Sioux City, City of Council Bluffs, and County of Cerro Gordo also received HUD funds.
Following is the HUD release
HUD Awards Nearly $140 Million to Protect Families from Lead and Other Home Health and Safety Hazards; Funding to make low-income families’ homes safer and healthier.
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded today nearly $140 million to 36 state and local government agencies in 19 states to protect children and families from lead-based paint hazards and other home health hazards.
HUD is providing these grants through its Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction grant program and its new Lead Hazard Reduction Capacity Building grant program to identify and clean up dangerous lead hazards and other health hazards in low-income families’ homes. These grants include more than $10 million from HUD’s Healthy Homes Supplemental funding to help communities with housing-related health and safety hazards in addition to lead-based paint hazards.
These investments will protect families and children by controlling significant lead and health hazards in over 3,400 low-income homes for which other resources are not available. The Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction grant program has two categories of competitive grants – awarding 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 large numbers of older homes, which are more likely to have lead-based paint hazards, and most states. The Lead Hazard Reduction Capacity Building grant program is awarding eight smaller competitive grants to state and local governments that have not had Lead Hazard Reduction grants, to help them develop the necessary infrastructure and capacity to undertake the larger programs in future years.
“Today, we are renewing our steadfast commitment to improving the lives of children and their families,” said HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “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 and Healthy Homes, added that, “These grants continue HUD’s commitment to sustainable communities and providing healthy and safe homes for all. We are committed to protecting families from lead-based paint hazards and other hazards in their home.”
Awarding these grants contributes to HUD’s achieving its strategic objective to strengthen environmental justice by reducing exposure to health risks, environmental hazards, and substandard housing, especially for low-income households and communities of color. You can read the Fiscal Year 2022-2026 HUD Strategic Plan on HUD’s website.
Read a complete project-by-project summary of the programs awarded grants today here.
GET THE LEAD OUT
Trinity Muscatine Public Health issued a reminder that lead can be present in many things including paint chips, soil, water, and some types of cookware. Iowa offers free drinking water lead testing kits for at-risk homes through the Get The Lead Out program. Follow this link to see if you qualify:
https://gettheleadout.uiowa.edu/.
There are no safe levels of lead for children so make sure your young children are tested regularly. The CDC recommends testing at 12 and 24 months of age, and again at 36 months if your child is high risk.
Contact your care provider or Public Health to inquire about a lead screening for your child. Lead poisoning is 100% preventable!
