To protect children and families from the hazards of lead-based paint and other home health and safety hazards, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently awarded $46.5 million in grants to 15 local and state governments.

The grant funding will reduce the number of lead-poisoned children and protect families by targeting health hazards in over 3,100 low-income homes with significant lead and/or other home health and safety hazards. The Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration grant program has a demonstrated history of success, filling critical needs in urban communities where no other resources exist to address substandard housing that threatens the health of the most vulnerable residents.

As HUD celebrates this June as the first ever National Healthy Homes Month, HUD Secretary Julián Castro is focused on helping children and families secure quality housing by protecting them from the hazards of lead-based paint and other home health and safety hazards.

“As the leader in lead paint hazard control, HUD’s grant awards are one of our strongest efforts to prevent lead poisoning among children,” says HUD Secretary Julián Castro. “These awards will help clean up lead paint hazards in thousands of low-income homes across the nation, eliminating the sources of permanent health and behavioral problems that lead poisoning brings.”

Unsafe and unhealthy homes affect the health of millions of people of all income levels, geographic areas, and walks of life in the U.S. These homes affect the economy directly, through increased use of health care services, and indirectly through lost wages and increased school days missed. Housing improvements help prevent injuries and illnesses, reduce associated health care and social services costs, reduce absentee rates for children in school and adults at work, and reduce stress, all which help to improve the quality of life.

HUD’s Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes promotes local efforts to eliminate dangerous lead paint and other housing-related health and safety hazards from lower income homes, stimulates private sector investment in lead hazard control, supports cutting-edge research on methods for assessing and controlling housing-related health and safety hazards, and educates the public about the dangers of hazards in the home.

The funding announced directs critical funds to cities, counties and states to eliminate dangerous lead paint and other housing-related health hazards in thousands of privately-owned, low-income housing units. HUD is also providing these Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration program grantees over $4.5 million in Healthy Homes supplemental funding to help these communities mitigate multiple health hazards in high risk housing simultaneously, in conjunction with their lead hazard control activities.

For more information and a full outline of funds, visit hud.gov.

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