Lead-Safe Repairs and Renovations Grant Offered

Lead-safe repairs and renovations are underway at multiple residential properties in Naugatuck as well as throughout the Valley, thanks to a $3 million HUD grant awarded to the Naugatuck Valley Health District (NVHD).

The largest scale renovation project to date is now taking place at a classic triple-decker in Naugatuck, with the installation of 52 thermal-pane, insulated replacement windows, as well as repairs to the exterior front and rear porches. 

The renovation contract is valued at $32,600 with no cash outlay by the owner-occupant.

NVHD was awarded a three-year grant by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in January 2009 to help protect the youngest Valley residents from lead poisoning. 

The grant is called the Naugatuck Valley Emends Lead Hazards (NauVEL) project. 

The NauVEL project can award up to $10,500 per housing unit to help eligible residential property-owners to pay for lead-safe repairs and renovations, including new replacement windows and doors. 

“I am so pleased to announce that the NauVEL program has completed construction at its first 11 housing units to create healthier, lead-safe homes for Valley residents,” said Karen Spargo, MPH, NVHD Director of Health. ​“It was through the combined support of the Mayors and First Selectmen of our six towns, the Board of Directors of the Naugatuck Valley Health District, as well our community partners that this important grant funding was secured for our communities.” 

Many Valley property owners have already shown an interest in this program and we hope that many more owners of pre-1978 homes will take advantage of this lead-safe home-improvement program while it is available, Spargo said. To fulfill the obligation to HUD, the program needs to remove lead hazards from a total of 154 housing units.

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“To grow up healthy, children need to live in healthy homes, and getting homes tested for lead is an essential part of that process,” said Ron Sims, HUD Deputy Secretary. ​“There are about 38 million U.S. homes that still contain lead-based paint, so it’s important to know the age of your home and get it tested if it was built before 1978.” 

“In the current stressed economy, we are seeing that our construction funds are going even further than anticipated towards removing lead hazards from qualified properties,” said Lydia Brannin, NauVEL Project Director.

To qualify for NauVEL funds, the property must:

  • Be pre-1978 construction located in Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Naugatuck, Seymour, or Shelton.
  • Contain lead hazards and warrant investment.
  • Be up-to-date on mortgage payments, property taxes, and insurance.
  • Be currently or potentially occupied by a child under the age of six, including a residence where a child under age six spends a significant amount of time visiting.
  • Be the residence of owner-occupants and/or tenants who meet HUD regional income requirements to qualify for participation. Owner-investors are not subject to income guidelines, but must contribute 25% of the total project in cash and/or sweat equity.

Over the past decade, HUD has funded over 300 lead-paint hazard control grant programs, such as the NVHD grant, in communities across the nation, creating over 100,000 lead-safe homes. 

Properties built before 1978 are likely to contain lead-based paint, the most common lead-hazard found in residential settings. Although there has been substantial new construction throughout the Naugatuck Valley in recent years, Census data show that 48% of Valley housing stock is in fact pre-1960 construction or even older. 

  • 24% of dwellings built 1960 – 1978 are likely to contain lead;
  • 69% of dwellings built 1940 – 1960 are likely to contain lead;
  • 87% of dwellings built before 1940 are likely to contain lead.

For more information on NauVEL, including eligibility screening and application kits, please contact the NauVEL office at 203 – 828-9925, or visit the website: http://www.nvhd.org/nauvel/index.htm

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