Grant funding will help address home health and safety hazards in low-income households

RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam today announced that Virginia has been awarded $5.6 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help protect families from lead-based paint and home health hazards. The grants are provided through the federal Lead Based Paint Hazard Reduction Program and Healthy Homes Production Grant Program.

“Every Virginia family deserves to live in a place that is free of lead, mold, and other hazardous materials,” said Governor Northam. “As a physician, and as governor, I understand the relationship between poor health and dangerous housing conditions. This funding will bolster our work to increase affordable, sustainable, and safe housing throughout the Commonwealth and support our ongoing efforts to improve the wellbeing and quality of life for all Virginians.”

Virginia received a $5 million grant from the Lead Based Paint Hazard Reduction Program and $600,000 in Healthy Homes Supplemental funding. The funding will help the Commonwealth address lead hazards in 232 housing units, providing safer homes for low- and very low-income families with children. Virginia will also perform healthy homes assessments in 81 units, and work with other medical and social service providers.

“We are very excited about increased funding for the health and safety of our households with the lowest of incomes,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. “These efforts will include eliminating lead paint and other health dangers, and this grant award is vital to our continued work to make Virginia the best place to live, work, and do business.”

Virginia is one of only nine states and is among 77 state and local government agencies to receive funding from HUD through the Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes. The Office works to promote local efforts to eliminate dangerous lead paint and other housing-related health hazards from lower income homes, stimulate private sector investment in lead hazard control, support cutting-edge research on methods for assessing and controlling housing-related health and safety hazards, and educate the public about the dangers of hazards in the home. Chesterfield County is also to be commended for an award of $1,580,285 through the program.