News Release

JACKSON ANNOUNCES MORE THAN $2.9 MILLION IN GRANTS FOR CHARLOTTE TO PROTECT CHILDREN FROM DANGEROUS LEAD AND OTHER HOME HEALTH AND SAFETY HAZARDS

GREENSBORO - Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson today awarded a $2,999,944 grant to the City of Charlotte to better protect children and families from dangerous lead-based paint and other home health and safety hazards. This is part of more than $118 million awarded nationally in grants to dozens of state and local communities, public health organizations and scientific research institutions.

In addition, HUD nationally is making available another $39 million in funding to clean up lead hazards in communities with the greatest need, specifically cities with a high incidence of lead poisoning and older homes. To facilitate the greatest number of applicants for these grants, HUD will be aggressively promoting the Department's Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration Grant Program to mayors and county officials of every eligible jurisdiction across the country.

"Today, we take another step closer toward ending childhood lead poisoning and making our homes safer and healthier places in which to raise our children," said Jackson. "While we've made great progress in reducing lead poisoning, we cannot rest until we banish this preventable disease to the history books."

The City of Charlotte's Neighborhood Development Department will be awarded $2,999,944 in LHC funds to continue to administer their Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control Program. The application is for the testing and risk evaluation and control and reduction of lead-based paint hazards in low-income housing in Charlotte. The funds will be used to provide community awareness and education, contractor training, continue the Lead Safe Charlotte HOTLINE in English and Spanish, and to screen children under the age of six for the presence of elevated blood levels at enrolled units. The City will perform lead hazard control work in 350 units, reach 5000 people at community outreach and education events, screen all children from the enrolled units, and train 30 lead workers and 8 lead supervisors. Contact: Diane Adams, Lead-Based Paint Program Manager (704) 336-2911.

The following is a breakdown of the funding announced today:

HUD grants will help 63 state and 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. Through seven grant programs, HUD's Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control promotes local efforts to eliminate dangerous lead and other hazards from lower income homes; stimulates private sector investment in lead hazard control; educates the public about the dangers of lead-based paint; and supports scientific research into innovative methods to identify and eliminate health hazards in housing.

Lead Hazard Control Grant Programs

The funding announced today includes $102 million to cities, counties and states 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 nearly $6 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 million in Lead Outreach grants for public education campaigns on what parents, building owners and others can do to protect children. Further, nearly $2.8 million will assist research to study methods to reduce the cost and increase the effectiveness of lead hazard control strategies.

Healthy Homes Initiative

A variety of preventable health and safety hazards threaten children every year. For example, excessive dust or moisture in the home can trigger asthma. Injuries from scalding, electrical shock or carbon monoxide poisoning can easily be prevented with modest home repairs. HUD's Healthy Homes Initiative addresses these and other childhood diseases and injuries in the home by taking a holistic approach, and approaches housing-related hazards in a coordinated fashion, rather than addressing a single hazard at a time.

The funding announced today includes nearly $3.8 million in demonstration grants to identify and eliminate housing conditions that contribute to children's disease and injury, such as asthma, mold exposure, and carbon monoxide contamination. HUD is also investing more than $1.5 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, and enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov. For more information about FHA products, please visit www.fha.gov.

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