U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson has announced a $1.8 million dollar grant for lead remediation for the City of Jackson.
Dr. Carson joined Governor Phil Bryant in making that announcement at a home in Jackson on Monday.
The money will immediately aid 78 homes in the Jackson area, but there are thousands more in the Metro and across the state in need of updating.
This announcement was part of $314 million awarded to 77 state and local government agencies, a record investment for the agency to protect children and families from lead-based paint and home health hazards. In addition, HUD is awarding more than $5 million to identify and address home health and safety hazards in six tribal communities.
These grants are provided through HUD’s Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Program and Healthy Homes Production Grant Program for Tribal Housing to identify and clean up dangerous lead in low-income housing. Many of the grantees announced today will work to clean up lead hazards in Opportunity Zones.
“We are committed to improving the lives of all families, especially children, by creating safer and healthier homes,” said Secretary Ben Carson. “One of HUD’s priorities is protecting families from lead-based paint and other health hazards. These grants will help states, tribes, and local communities do precisely that.”
Dr. Carson also emphasized that this is not one-time money. As the grant cycles continue, more may be allocated to continue the work that ne
The Lead Based Paint Hazard Reduction Program grants include $30 million in HUD’s Healthy Homes Supplemental funding to help communities address housing-related health and safety hazards, in addition to lead-based paint hazards. Seven local communities were awarded grants to help their ‘High Impact Neighborhood’ where they will conduct lead hazard control and healthy homes work intensively in a targeted neighborhood impacted by poor housing conditions. HUD’s new tribal grants fill critical needs in communities where limited resources exist to address substandard housing that threatens the health of the most vulnerable tribal residents.
Combined, these investments will protect families and children by targeting health hazards in more than 14,700 low-income homes with significant lead and health hazards for which other resources are not available to address these needs.
“HUD understands the close connection between health and housing,” said Matthew Ammon, Director of HUD’s Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes. “This year, HUD is awarding a record number of awards to jurisdictions to directly support their efforts to identify and clean up housing-based health hazards like lead and mold.”
HUD’s Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes promotes local efforts to eliminate dangerous lead paint and other housing-related health 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. Read a complete project-by-project summary of the programs awarded grants today.
Lead Hazard Reduction in Opportunity Zones
Created under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Opportunity Zones aim to stimulate long-term investments in low-income communities by offering significant capital gains tax relief to those who invest in these distressed areas. This initiative is anticipated to spur $100 billion in private capital investment in Opportunity Zones. Incentivizing investment in low-income communities fosters economic revitalization, job creation, and promotes sustainable economic growth across the nation, especially in communities HUD serves. Applicants seeking funding under HUD’s Lead Based Paint Hazard Reduction and Healthy Homes Production Grant Program for Tribal Housing receive bonus points to further drive public investment to these areas
Courtney Ingle
