Grant funds amounting to $3,000,000 will be given by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary for Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration, Jon Grant, to Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price at the city meeting.
This additional funding shall be used mainly to provide more home improvement grants, grants for home repairs, and government grants for housing repairs to protect children and families from lead.
Lead has been a known health hazard and is mostly present in old paint. Lead grants are usually given to individuals and families living in public low-income housing across the country. In fact, there already has been around $110,000,000 lead grants awarded nationally.
Fort Worth, however, is the only city who had been awarded these grants among HUD’s five-state Southwest Region that includes Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
Home Improvement Grants for Lead-Based Paint Elimination
Lead-based paint has already been banned for any residential use since the year 1978. But despite this, HUD estimates there are still about 24 million homes nationwide that poses significant lead-based health hazards.
Lead had caused many health problems especially among children. Some of these include reduced IQ, delays in development, learning disabilities, hearing impairments, and reduced height. Lead exposure to adults pose more serious health concerns with kidney and central nervous system problems.
HUD knows how serious this situation is and as HUD Secretary Gant had said:
“Protecting the health and well-being of children is a top priority for HUD. We know that housing conditions directly affect its residents’ health, and this grant will allow the City and its partners to provide a safer living environment for low-income children and their families.”
The thankful Fort Worth City Mayor Price said:
“Ensuring public safety is the most important thing we do – and that means addressing both the obvious and not so obvious challenges. The health risks associated with lead-based paint are obvious and important to address. This grant will help us do that. It will offer families the peace of mind that their homes are will be free of unseen risks to their health, and we thank HUD for its support, in this important program.”
Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration Grant
There are two home improvement grants in relation to lead and its hazards – the Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control (LHC) and Lead Hazard Reduction. Both programs were made to identify and control the known lead-based paint hazards in both eligible public and private housing communities.
This year, the HUD’s chosen city in the Southwest Region, will use their $3,000,000 in Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration Grants to identify and address more lead hazards in about 200 of their low-income housing units. This grant can be used accordingly with grants for home repairs to provide more lead-safe homes for families and children alike.
In order for this goal to be achieved, Fort Worth City will be partnering up with several agencies and organizations. Here is the list of the agencies/organizations that will be part of home improvement grants in Texas:
1. Tarrant County Housing Partnership (TCHP)
3204 Collinsworth
Fort Worth, Texas 76107
(817) 924-5091
2. United Community Centers, Inc .
1200 E. Maddox Avenue
Fort Worth, Texas 76104
(817) 927-5556
3. Northside InterChurch Agency
1600 Circle Park Boulevard
Fort Worth, Texas 76104
(817) 626-1102
4. Cultural Center/ Centro Cultural de Las Americas
1300 Gendy Street
Fort Worth, Texas 76107
(817) 737-2422