Mayor Domenic J. Sarno is announcing that applications are now being accepted by the Office of Housing and Community Development from eligible homeowners and investor-owners in Springfield for the Lead Hazard Reduction Program.
Funding is available to income-qualified owner-occupant households that include pregnant women or children under six that are at or below 80% of Area Median Income. Funding will allow for abatement and interim controls to reduce lead paint risk. Funding is also available to investor-owners of 1-4 units whose tenants have household incomes of 50% of Area Median Income and whose households include a child under six or pregnant woman. Funding will be paid out in the form of 0% forgivable loans. Investor-owners will be required to invest 10% of the cost, enabling the City to maintain a pool of revolving funds to produce more lead-safe units in the future.
Applications and more information regarding the program are available on the City’s website: https://www.springfield-ma.gov/housing/lead. If you prefer a paper application or have questions about the program you may contact (413)787-6500 or visit the Office of Housing & Community Development at 1600 East Columbus Avenue.
Households that qualify for the Lead Hazard Reduction Program will unlock access to additional grant funding through Revitalize CDC that will utilize the Hopkins/GHHI-CHASE Tool for Injury Prevention to assess and remediate the most frequent causes of injury to children within the home.
“This is vital de-leading program that will help provide for the safety of families and their children within their own homes,” explained Mayor Sarno. “One of the major components of addressing housing needs is making sure existing housing options are healthy. I am proud of my administration’s efforts, especially our Community Development team, toward helping homeowners make needed repairs and perform rehabilitation to their homes, which strengthens our neighborhoods and reduces health disparities within our communities. I encourage our residents and property owners to look into this program to see if you are eligible, especially for those with young children and those living in older homes.”
Chief Development Officer Tim Sheehan states, “Although lead has been removed from paint sold in the U.S for decades, lead exposures persist. With communities of color and residents in urban and low-income areas being at greatest risk for exposure. This grant funding will assist the City in addressing the persistence of and inequities in lead exposures in Springfield and will provide needed resources to more fully respond to lead exposure as a public health concern.”
Springfield is rated a high-risk community for childhood lead poisoning due to significant percentages of aged housing stock and conditions. There is no safe level of lead exposure and there are often no immediate symptoms, with symptoms not developing until the lead in the blood has reached dangerous levels. A blood test is the only accurate way to determine levels of lead exposure. Children under the age of 6 are especially vulnerable to lead poisoning. Lead poisoning in children under the age of six can cause irreversible damage to children’s brains and central nervous systems, leading to slowed growth and development, hearing and speech difficulties, learning and behavioral issues, decreased ability to pay attention and underperformance in school, etc.
Congressman Richard Neal states “As a city whose history predates our nation’s founding, much of our housing stock is aged. Communities like Springfield are the very communities Congress intended to benefit when it authorized this funding through HUD. These investments will go a long way to provide permanent solutions, making sure families, especially those with young children, are safe from the potential risks of lead exposure. I commend the City of Springfield’s efforts under Mayor Sarno’s leadership to strengthen its housing stock, in turn strengthening our communities.”
The funding is result of a grant funding award totaling $5,123,276.05 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and up to $700,000 in match funding from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Executive Office for Administration & Finance’s Federal Match and Debt Reduction Fund.
The Office of Housing and Community Development encourages contractors that are adequately licensed to perform de-leading work and who are interested in getting on the pre-approved contractor list, to contact Julimar Otero at (413)787-6500 or via email at, jotero@springfieldcityhall.com. Contractors will be required to complete an application and submit copies of license and insurance.