Indiana will utilize a $4.7 million grant to remediate lead and radon problems in 165 homes throughout the state.
The grant is part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Lead Hazard Reduction Program. HUD is providing more than $125 million to 26 state and local government agencies to protect children and families from lead-based paint hazards and additional hazards in homes. The national program will reach 4,000 low-income homes.
“The funding provided today will help these families – especially their children – to be healthier and to improve their attendance and experiences in school and work over the coming decades,” HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge said in a statement.
The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority will use the grant in its Healthy Homes Resource Program. The funds will be used to target households with children under the age of 6 in all of Indiana’s 92 counties. The program is scheduled to begin in early 2023.
“We are thrilled to have received this grant to better serve Hoosiers across the state,” Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch said in a statement. “Addressing hazards such as lead paint and radon can be expensive fixes, and many Hoosiers can’t afford these costs – some upwards of $20,000. This grant will aid in helping Hoosiers update their homes, especially families with small children.”
IHCDA will work with a network of community agencies, county commissioners, townships, municipalities and public housing authorities to implement the program. The community organizations will refer potential beneficiaries to the IHCDA.
There are four qualifications for entry into the lead mitigation program:
- have a child under age 6 living in the home;
- there’s a pregnant female living in the home;
- bare soil in the yard;
- the home is owned or rented.
“HUD is making clear, through these grants, that it prioritizes healthy and safe homes in communities around the Nation,” said Matthew Ammon, Director of HUD’s Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes in a statement. “An important part of becoming and staying healthy is a hazard-free home. HUD is committed to protecting families from lead and other housing-related health and safety hazards and to providing healthy, affordable, and sustainable housing.”
This article originally appeared on The Center Square.
