Somerville Receives HUD Funding To Protect From Home Hazards

SOMERVILLE, MA – The City of Somerville was among three Massachusetts communities to receive funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to keep families and children safe from lead-based paint and other home health and safety hazards. Somerville was awarded a $1.7 million grant; Malden and Brockton also each received a little over $1.3 million.

More than $127 million was awarded to 48 state and local government agencies nationwide and will reduce the number of children with elevated blood levels, as well as protect nearly 7,600 families living in homes with significant lead and other home health hazards, according to HUD.

HUD Secretary Ben Carson has made lead paint hazard removal a top priority in his department. HUD’s Lead Based Paint Hazard Control grant programs help fill critical needs in communities where no other resources exist to address substandard housing that threatens the health of the country's most vulnerable residents.

"Children perform better at school and in life if they live in a healthy home," Carson said in a release. "A healthy start at home translates to a successful life outside of the home. HUD is committed to working with local communities to eradicate lead paint poisoning to make sure our homes are safe and ensure positive outcomes for families and their kids."

Unsafe and unhealthy homes affect the health of millions of people and impact the economy through increased utilization of health care services, lost wages and increased school days missed, according to a press release. The grants will direct the funds to eliminating dangerous lead paint and other housing-related health hazards in thousands of privately-owned, low-income housing units.

As part of these awards, HUD is providing grantees with about $14 million in Healthy Homes supplemental funding to help communities curb multiple health hazards in high-risk housing in conjunction with lead hazard control activities.

"Millions of families and children are seeing their hope for the future threatened by poor health simply because of where they live," Jon L. Gant, director of HUD’s Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes, said in a release. "This round of funding includes awards to eight cities that are receiving grant awards for the first time. We are pleased the program is expanding into these previously unserved communities."

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