September 20, 2006 Contact: Sue Baker
For Immediate Release
HUD awards city its second lead hazard grant
The $2.1 million, three-year funding is the largest single grant awarded in city history
WARWICK – The Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control, under the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), has awarded the City of Warwick its second three-year Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Grant, Mayor Scott Avedisian announced today. The award of $2.1 million is the largest single grant in city history; HUD’s first grant, of $1.88 million three years ago, was at the time the largest award.
“The city’s Office of Housing and Community Development and the Warwick Lead Hazard Reduction Program staff have done an outstanding job of effectively administering the first grant, developing a citywide strategy for lead abatement and education, and helping property owners and tenants to ensure that they are living in, or renting, a home that is safe from the hazards of lead paint. Clearly, HUD has recognized the success of the program so far, and we are deeply grateful that they have not only renewed the grant, but have increased the funding amount.”
Since its inception, the program’s goal has been to: reduce the exposure of Warwick’s children to lead paint and other sources; increase public awareness about the hazards of lead paint; promote safe and effective methods of reducing lead pain hazards; provide grants/loans to homeowners and landlords to reduce lead hazards in housing; collect information on the most cost-effective techniques for lead paint hazard reduction.
Already, 99 units have been completed, and there are 27 on the waiting list – projects that will be completed with funds from the existing grant. Seven additional projects are already on the waiting list and will be paid for through the new grant.
The $2.1 million grant will allow for the following: addition of a lead rehab specialist position, responsible for overseeing contract lead inspectors, qualified general contractors and qualified landscape contractors to do the lead hazard control work; integration of the Lead Hazard Control Program into the Home Improvement Loan Program; evaluation of a minimum of 150 units for lead paint inspections/risk assessments; completion of lead-based paint hazard control for 125 units (including complete encapsulation of interior lad paint hazards, removal and replacement of friction-causing housing elements, encapsulation through pint or siding of exterior paint, abatement of dust inside the unit, abatement of soil outside the unit); completion of lead clearance testing on 125 units; continued outreach and education programs to provide the community with information on lead hazards and the program, including 122 events throughout the community; temporary relocation of 65 families during rehab work on rental units; corresponding rehabilitation on 90 housing units to address code violations and other eligible improvements; increase and retain the amount of affordable housing within the city.
The program offers qualified homeowners, investors and Section 8 landlords grants of up to $10,000 to complete lead abatement projects, such as door and window replacement, soil remediation and/or other mitigation measures, on homes built prior to 1978. The funds are distributed in the form of a five-year deferred loan that decreases 20 percent each year for homeowners and 10 percent each year for landlords/investors. Grant recipients are not required to repay the debt unless they sell the property during the life of the loan.
Borrowers must have clear title to the property and taxes must be current. Owner-occupied homeowners and tenants must also meet certain income requirements to be eligible for assistance.
Because lead poisoning is particularly dangerous for children six and younger, priority will be given to those households, and particularly to families with children whose blood levels are 10 to 20 ug/dL or greater. Homes in the Conimicut, East Natick/Pontiac, Norwood/Lincoln Park and Oakland Beach neighborhoods will be given priority over properties in other areas of Warwick.
Westbay Community Action, Inc will remain an essential part of the program with key responsibility for community education and outreach to low income families with children younger than 6 years of age. Westbay has been designated as a certified lead center, under contract to the RIDOH and will be a tremendous asset to the program.
In addition, Childhood Lead Action (CLA), a community-based organization, will reach city residents through grassroots outreach and education programs. This will include presentations to neighborhood groups, childcare centers, elementary schools, faith-based organizations, real estate brokers, and property owner/manager associations.
Rhode Island Housing Corporation, the state’s principal housing agency, partners with the program by providing qualified borrowers gap financing in the form of a loan up to $10,000 at 0 percent deferred through its lead program.
Additional Information:
Lead-based paint was often used in homes built before 1978. Particularly high concentrations of lead in paint were used before 1950. According to the 2000 census, over 80 percent of Warwick’s housing stock was constructed prior to 1979 and over 53 percent was built before 1960.
This paint can peel, chip, or crack away. People who breathe contaminated paint dust from inner city housing or from older houses being restored can be exposed to the harmful substance. Children eating paint during normal childhood hand-to-mouth activities are also exposed to lead. Significant lead exposure at a young age can cause brain damage, short attention span, and lower IQ. Lead has also been linked with difficulties in learning language. Exposure during pregnancy can jeopardize fetal development. At high doses, some signs of childhood lead poisoning are hyperactivity, emotional outbreaks, and lack of attention, fatigue, and delinquency, loss of coordination, pain and soreness. It is important to realize that children in the early stages of lead poisoning show few symptoms. The best way to combat lead poisoning is by removing lead from the child’s environment.
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