| |||||||||
October 18, 2007HUD Announces $8.1 Million in New Funding to Protect Children in Houston and Harris County from Dangerous Lead in the Home |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
From HUD Press Releases: At least 550 homes in Houston and Harris County will become healthier places to raise children due to $8.1 million in funding announced today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson. Jackson joined Houston Mayor Bill White to make the announcement at the home of Frank & Esther Ramirez, Houston grandparents whose home was recently cleared of lead-based paint hazards. The funding is part of nearly $150 million awarded nationwide and a total of $12 million throughout Texas to identify and clean up potentially dangerous lead-based paint hazards in older privately owned low-income housing. HUD's grants are provided through the Department's Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control and Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration grant programs. This funding helps states, Native American Tribes and local governments to undertake comprehensive programs to identify and control lead-based paint hazards in eligible privately owned rental housing. Lead-contaminated dust is the primary cause of lead exposure and can lead to a variety of health problems in young children including reduced IQ, learning disabilities, developmental delays, reduced height, and impaired hearing. The Houston Department of Health and Human Services has adopted lead poisoning prevention as a priority for community education and outreach. This Lead Hazard Control Grant will continue the City's work with community-based organizations to identify and educate target populations about childhood lead poisoning, and control lead hazards in older low-income housing. The City of Houston will be awarded $3,000,000 under the Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration program to perform lead hazard reduction in 200 housing units.
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
