Lead Paint Elimination Grants Awarded In Northeast Ohio

CLEVELAND — The city of Cleveland will receive more than $9 million to identify and get rid of lead paint in homes. Cuyahoga County will receive and additional $5.5 million for the same purpose.

The grants were announced this week by Governor Mike DeWine. Ohio receive more than $44 million to eliminate lead paint in homes. The grants were awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

"No parent should have to worry about a child being poisoned by living in their own home,” said DeWine. “I am pleased that these grants will help communities in Ohio remove lead paint making our homes safer for families.”

Lead exposure can lead to issues with genitive development, behavior, IQ, hearing and speech in children. Ohioans are most commonly exposed to lead when lead-based paint begins to deteriorate in houses and apartments.

The dangers of lead paint have been particularly fearsome in Northeast Ohio, where families and children live in homes built prior to 1978 (when lead paint was most common). DeWine said he wants to make eliminating lead paint a focus of his administration.

Several Northeast Ohio cities and counties will be receiving grants to eliminate lead paint in housing stock. Here's how the grant will be divvied up:

• Akron — $4.6 million
• Canton — $3.3 million
• Cleveland — $9.7 million
• Columbus — $5.6 million
• Cuyahoga County — $5.6 million
• Erie County — $3,828,430
• Lima — $2 million
• Mahoning County — $4.6 million
• Summit County — $5.6 million