The federal Department Housing and Urban Development has awarded $2.48 million each to the Naugatuck Valley Health District and the city of New Haven to help remove lead hazards in homes.
“I fought hard to see that HUD was aware of the housing conditions in New Haven and the Valley,” said U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro in a press release, ​“and I am happy that both were awarded funding that ultimately will help make our children safer.”
With this funding, the Naugatuck Valley Health District and New Haven will provide safer homes for families with children by removing lead-hazards in 380 housing units.
The Naugatuck Valley Health District will assess the health conditions of 200 housing units and will refer 180 of the eligible housing units for weatherization and energy efficiency audit and service.
New Haven will be able to assess the health conditions of 200 additional units.
Even though lead-based paint was banned for residential use in 1978, HUD estimates that approximately 24 million homes still have significant lead-based paint hazards today.
Lead-contaminated dust is the primary cause of lead exposure and can lead to a variety of health problems in young children, including reduced IQ, learning disabilities, developmental delays, reduced height, and impaired hearing.
At higher levels, lead can damage a child’s kidneys and central nervous system and cause anemia, coma, convulsions and even death.
New Haven and the communities served by the Naugatuck Valley Health District include a significant amount of pre-1978 housing.
Lead hazards related directly to age and condition of housing:
- 24 percent of dwellings built 1960 – 1978 are likely to contain lead;
- 69 percent of dwellings built 1940 – 1960 are likely to contain lead;
- 87 percent of dwellings built before 1940 are likely to contain lead.
The funding awarded to New Haven and the Valley is through HUD​’s Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control and Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration grant programs.
In response to a growing number of children identified with lead poisoning, both the City of New Haven and the Naugatuck Valley Health District have undertaken aggressive lead hazard repair and renovation programs.
The Naugatuck Valley Health District has surpassed its initial goal of making lead-safe 154 homes and will complete a total of 200 units before the end of its current grant in June.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Health District, the mayors of our six Valley towns, and our Working Partners who all contributed to our success in winning this very competitive federal grant, I want to thank our Federal Representatives for their vision and leadership in championing the needs of their communities,” said Karen N. Spargo, NVHD Director of Health.
“Childhood lead poisoning is the number one cause of environmental disease in young children even though it is 100 percent preventable,” Spargo said in the statement. ​“This year is the Valley Health District’s 40th anniversary, which makes this continued funding even more meaningful. It will help us to continue to protect Valley children from lead hazards by helping property owners to make lead-safe repairs and improvements.”
The Naugatuck Valley Health District, founded in 1972, provides official local public health functions for Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Naugatuck, Seymour and Shelton; it serves the third largest population (126,270) among Connecticut health districts.
Over the course of the past nine years, the City of New Haven has successfully reduced the number of children identified with lead poisoning by 61 percent, from 474 in 2002 to 185 in 2010. Their success has been in large part due to the award of four previous HUD Lead Hazard Control Grants which enabled the health department to fully abate over 1,035 homes and provide thousands of caregivers and children with educational programming on the dangers of lead poisoning.
“Since 1995, federal funds have paid for the abatement of 1,117 housing units throughout the City, resulting in a 68 percent reduction in reported cases of lead poisoned children from 2002 to 2011. Unfortunately, New Haven continues to have the most reported cases of childhood lead poisoning of any city in Connecticut, due to our older rental housing stock.” said Mayor John DeStefano. ​“I am grateful to Congresswoman DeLauro and to HUD for continuing to fight on behalf of New Haven children and families for safe and healthy housing.”