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Southwest
Detroit
residents
in 48209
can now
apply
for free
lead-based
paint
remediation
of their
homes
•
Funding
from
HUD,
City of
Detroit
to go
toward
removing
potential
lead
hazards
from 455
homes
over
five
years in
the
48209
ZIP code
•
Detroit
one of
only
seven
communities
across
the
country
to
receive
such
funding
DETROIT
- The
City of
Detroit’s
Housing
&
Revitalization
Department
is now
accepting
applications
from
southwest
Detroit
households
to
remove
lead-based
paint at
zero
cost to
homeowners.
The City
is
hoping
to
enroll
455
households
into the
program
over
five
years.
Priority
will be
given to
households
with
children
under 6
years of
age or
with a
pregnant
mother
or with
children
who have
tested
positive
for
lead.
The
effort
is made
possible
through
funding
from the
U.S.
Department
of
Housing
& Urban
Development
(HUD)’s
High
Impact
Neighborhood
grant
program,
which
concentrates
efforts
in a
single
area for
maximum
impact.
The City
chose to
focus
those
resources
on the
48209
ZIP code
in
southwest
Detroit,
where
more
than
three-quarters
of the
housing
stock
was
built
before
1940,
and
there is
a high
number
of
low-income
families
and of
children
under 6
years of
age.
More
than 50
children
in the
ZIP code
were
identified
in 2017
testing
as
having
elevated
blood-lead
levels.
The
project
area
selected
is
bounded
by
Vernor
Highway
to the
north,
Woodmere
Street
to the
west,
Livernois
to the
east and
I-75 to
the
south.
Southwest
Detroit
residents
living
in that
geographic
area are
invited
to apply
now at
www.bit.ly/DetroitLeadSafe,
by
e-mailing
gettheleadout@detroitmi.gov,
or
calling
313-348-0010
(313-348-5581
for
Spanish
speakers)
to sign
up for
the
program,
in which
all work
is
funded
through
grants,
so there
is no
cost to
the
homeowner.
Work is
to begin
in
October.
Lead-based
paint is
a
well-known
source
of lead
poisoning
in
Detroit.
That’s
because
most of
the
city’s
housing
stock
was
built
before
lead-based
paint
was
banned
in 1978.
This
means
that
there is
often
lead
paint
still in
the
home,
posing a
threat
to
children
from
chipped
or
peeling
paint.
Lead
poisoning
can
cause
severe
issues
with
brain
development,
including
learning
disabilities
and
behavioral
problems,
but is
preventable
through
remediation.
Because
of the
risk of
lead to
the
health
of
children,
the City
of
Detroit
has made
reducing
lead
hazards
a
priority.
“It
can cost
up to
$25,000
to
properly
remediate
lead
paint
from a
single
house,
and that
is a
cost
that is
simply
unattainable
to many
Detroiters,”
Mayor
Mike
Duggan
said.
“This
program
will
keep
kids
safe and
families
in their
homes.
Just
because
a family
isn’t
wealthy
doesn’t
mean
they
don’t
deserve
a safe
house
for
their
child.”
Last
October,
Detroit
became
one of
seven
communities
across
the
country
awarded
High
Impact
Neighborhood
Awards
in the
United
States.
Detroit
was
awarded
$9.7
million,
the
largest
single
amount
awarded
to a
local
government
for
lead-abatement
efforts.
The City
of
Detroit
is
pitching
in a
$1.16
million
match.
The
federal
funding
will see
$9.1
million
spent on
a
lead-based
paint
hazard
reduction
grant
program
and
$600,000
in
supplemental
funding
to
address
housing-related
health
and
safety
hazards,
including
mold,
allergens,
carbon
monoxide
and
radon,
in
addition
to
lead-based
paint
hazards.
The City
will
perform
healthy
homes
assessments
in 120
homes
and work
with
medical
and
social
service
providers.
“This
important
work
will not
only
improve
the
healthy
and
safety
of
housing
in
southwest
Detroit
but also
improve
equity
in the
city by
funding
home
repairs,”
said
Donald
Rencher,
Director
of the
Housing
&
Revitalization
Department.
“We
encourage
residents
in this
priority
census
tract to
participate
in this
lead
hazard
reduction
program
and to
get
their
children
tested
for
lead.
Our goal
is to
create a
‘Lead
Safe
Detroit.’”
Partners
in the
initiative
include
the
Detroit
Heath
Department;
Bridging
Neighborhoods;
Wayne
State
University;
Clear
Corps
Detroit;
City of
Detroit
Buildings,
Safety
Engineering
and
Environmental
Department
(BSEED);
and the
Michigan
Department
of
Health
and
Human
Services
(MDHHS).
“When a
small
child
gets
lead
dust or
paint
chips on
their
hands,
they may
put them
in their
mouth,
and
that's
the
primary
way they
get
exposed,”
said
Denise
Fair,
Chief
Public
Health
Officer
for the
City of
Detroit.
“And
when
lead
paint in
the
house
cracks
or peels
it can
create
lead
dust.
Approximately
90
percent
of all
elevated
blood
lead
levels
results
from
lead
paint
dust and
surrounding
soil in
those
aging
homes.”
To be
eligible
for the
program:
•
Your
home or
rental
property
must
have
been
built
before
1978.
•
The
house
must be
located
in the
48209
ZIP code
in one
of four
contiguous
census
tracts
(5238,
5240,
5241,
5242).
•
Your
household
income
is at or
below 80
percent
of the
area
median
income.
•
There
must be
a child
6 years
of age
or
younger,
or a
pregnant
woman in
the
house at
the time
of
intake,
or there
is a
visiting
child 6
years of
age or
younger
at the
house
for more
than 60
hours
per
year.
For
Detroit
residents
outside
of the
southwest
area,
the City
of
Detroit
also
runs the
Lead
Hazard
Reduction
Program,
which
utilizes
a
site-specific
lead
inspection
and risk
assessment
to
determine:
• The
nature
and
scope of
lead
hazards
in the
home.
•
The
types of
lead
hazards
controls
needed
(lead
cleanings,
interim
controls
and/or
abatement
techniques)
to
eliminate
lead-based
paints
hazards.
•
The
conditions
that
contribute
to these
hazards.
•
The LHR
program
remediates
lead
hazards
in
eligible
single-family
homes
(one to
four
units)
throughout
the City
of
Detroit.
To apply
for the
LHR
grant,
residents
can
e-mail
gettheleadout@detroitmi.gov
or call
313-224-6380.
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