In a continued effort to keep families safe from lead-based paint, city officials recently garnered a $2.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Overall, more than $127 million in federal grant funds were distributed to 48 states. In Michigan, both Jackson and Wayne County received $2.9 million in federal funds to abate lead risks in area homes.
“Of the nearly $3 million in federal grant funds to curb lead-based paint risks in the community, $1.2 million is earmarked for lead abatement within city rentals,” said Councilman Dan Greer, 3rd Ward, who also sits on Jackson’s Brownfield Redevelopment Authority. “We estimate these funds will completely abate lead-based issues in roughly 150 homes in Jackson.”
City administration submitted their grant application in March, and this month received the maximum funds allowed under the grant guidelines: $2.5 million in Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control grant funds and $400,000 in Healthy Homes Supplemental funding. The last LBPHC grant was awarded to Jackson in 2005.
“The City Manager’s office worked diligently to ensure Jackson received its portion of federal funds toward fixing this issue,” Mayor Bill Jors said. “We are excited to see the results.”
A recent report from the Department of Health and Human Services shows Jackson has the second highest lead poisoning rate for children in Michigan (10.7 percent). Further, the 49203 zip code ranked in the top 30 zip codes for high blood lead levels across all measured categories.
“Jackson and the surrounding communities rank as one of the leaders in Michigan when it comes to childhood lead poisoning,” City Councilman and Vice Mayor Derek Dobies, 6th Ward, said. “These funds can help begin the remediation efforts and get us back on track, but we need to continue to pursue policies that help children and their families lead healthy lives within the community.”
