More Naugatuck Valley property owners may be eligible to make lead-safe improvements to their residential property thanks to a Naugatuck Valley Health District program that won renewed federal funding.
NVHD was awarded a three-year, $2.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in March 2012 to help protect the youngest Valley residents from lead poisoning.
The grant is called the Naugatuck Valley Emends Lead Hazards (NauVEL) project. NauVEL funds can help eligible residential property-owners to pay for lead-safe repairs in housing units. NVHD was also awarded an additional $180,000 in Healthy Homes supplemental funding for the identification and reduction of other housing-related health and safety hazards.
“Childhood lead poisoning is the number one cause of environmental disease in young children even though it is 100 percent preventable,” said Karen N. Spargo, NVHD Director of Health.
“This year is the Valley Health District’s 40th anniversary, which makes this continued funding even more meaningful. This funding will help us to protect Valley children from lead hazards by helping property owners to make lead-safe repairs and improvements. The supplemental Healthy Homes funding will also enable the program to identify other housing-related hazards in the same homes,” she said.
NVHD, 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.
Lead hazard relates directly to the age of the house and the type and condition of the paint in and on the house.
Although there has been substantial new construction throughout the Valley in recent years, Census data show that 49 percent of Valley housing stock dates from 1940-1979, and another 23% is pre-1940 (and earlier) construction.
Properties built before 1978 are likely to contain lead-based paint, the leading lead-hazard found in residential settings. Lead-based paint was used in more than 64 million homes nationally until it was banned from residential use in 1978:
· 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.
Lead-based paint may not be a hazard if it is in good condition and not found on an impact or friction surface such as a window or a door. Lead-based paint is a hazard that needs immediate attention when it is deteriorating and peeling, chipping, chalking, cracking or is otherwise damaged or disturbed. Even new renovations and upgrades to a pre-1978 property can create a lead-hazard by disturbing old lead-painted surfaces, releasing microscopic but poisonous lead dust.
“Our first lead-hazard control grant began operation in 2009 and was very successful,” said Deborah Dozier, NauVEL Program Manager.
“The first grant had the goal of completing lead-safe repairs in 154 homes, and we surpassed that goal to complete 200 housing units. With this second grant funding, we have set a goal for ourselves of completing repairs in 180 housing units – minimum.”
The new grant will also provide Healthy Homes inspections. HUD’s Healthy Homes program addresses multiple childhood diseases and injuries in the home by taking a comprehensive approach to housing-related health and safety hazards.
The Healthy Homes approach builds upon HUD’s successful models for Lead Hazard Control to expand into a variety of environmental hazards including: mold, lead, allergens, asthma, carbon monoxide, home safety, pesticides, and radon. Supplemental funding awarded to NVHD will be used to provide Healthy Homes inspections for the properties that apply for lead-hazard repairs as well as referral to other resources to address.
To qualify for NauVEL funds, the property must:
· Be located within the six communities that comprise the Naugatuck Valley Health District – Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Naugatuck, Seymour, and Shelton.
· Be pre-1978 construction containing lead hazards, and in condition to warrant investment.
· 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.
· Be up-to-date on mortgage payments, property taxes, and insurance.
For information on NauVEL, including income eligibility information, please visit the website:
http://www.nvhd.org/nauvel/
This information is from a press release from the Naugatuck Valley Health District.
