Brown Announces $3.4 Million to Help Remove Lead from Homes in Columbus

Federal Funding Would Help the City of Columbus Address Lead Hazards in 175 Homes; Brown Has Called For Increased Funding through HUD’s Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes. Brown is a Strong Supporter of Federal Funding to Help Prevent Lead Poisoning, Monitor Lead Exposure in Children, and Eliminate Lead Hazards.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced $3.4 million in federal funding for the City of Columbus to protect children from health and safety hazards related to lead-based paint and other home hazards. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding will help the city address lead hazards in 175 households that are home to low and very low-income families with children. The award will also enable Columbus to simultaneously address other health and safety hazards in 160 homes.

“Too many Ohio children are exposed to lead through paint in older homes or the dirt in their back yards,” Brown said. “This funding will help protect children and give parents the peace of mind that their child is safe from lead hazards. I will continue working to support communities like Columbus in their efforts to make more homes lead-safe.”

Brown, ranking member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, has been a strong supporter of federal funding to help prevent lead poisoning, monitor lead exposure in children, and eliminate lead hazards. Last month, Brown voted for legislation which will provide $135 million for HUD’s Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes grants. The Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes helps protect children from health and safety hazards related to lead-based paint and other home hazards. In March, he wrote to Senate Appropriators requesting support for the program.

As part of the year-end appropriations bill passed in December, Brown supported funding for federal programs at HUD and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HUD’s Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes received $110 million. The CDC’s Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Prevention Program – the only federal program that provides funding for states and local health departments to conduct surveillance of where, how, and when children are exposed to lead – received $17 million.

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