Michigan City Accepts $2M Grant to Address Lead Paint in Homes With Children

The Kalamazoo City Commission accepted a nearly $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) meant to address lead-based paint hazards in homes where children under six reside, Booth Michigan reports. HUD awarded more than $139 million to 48 state and local government agencies in December 2018. After hearing recommendations in favor of the grant, the Michigan city accepted the grant money, with plans for the program to begin April 1.

The funds are meant to be used to identify and control lead-based paint hazards in homes where children six and under reside and the grant targets the areas where children are most at risk. The City of Kalamazoo has about 3,415 homes that have possible lead paint concerns, according to the recommendation, based on HUD data.

The rate of elevated blood levels among children under the age of six in two Kalamazoo zip codes was nearly 2 percentage points above the 0.5% rate for the rest of the county. The program to combat lead-based paint hazards will run for 42 months and impact around 72 homes, according to Booth Michigan. Around 60% of the impacted homes will be owner-occupied dwellings, while the remaining 40% will be rental units.