By CHARLENE LOVETT
By Charlene Lovett
National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week began in New Hampshire with a press conference in Concord on Monday, Oct. 26, during which Housing and Urban Development (HUD) officials announced the award of over $12.3 million in grant funding to state and local government agencies to address lead and other home health hazards. Only one of 23 states to receive a portion of the $165 million awarded nationally, New Hampshire’s funding was distributed to the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority ($4.9 million), Nashua ($5.7 million) and Sullivan County ($1.7 million).
To date, this allocation of HUD funding is the largest to be awarded to New Hampshire for lead hazard mitigation. It also marks the first time that a county was awarded such funding. The increase in federal dollars not only underscores HUD’s focus on the importance of healthy homes, but also reflects the commitment at both the state and local level to prevent childhood lead poisoning.
The award to Sullivan County is comprised of $1.3 million in Lead Based Paint Hazard Reduction grant funding and $400,000 in Healthy Homes funding. With this funding, the County will address lead hazards in 60 housing units, providing safer homes for low and very low-income families with children. Given 62% of housing in New Hampshire was built before 1978, the year lead-based paint was banned in the U.S., an increase in funding of this type is critical to prevention efforts.
Claremont’s advocacy efforts played a critical role in Sullivan County receiving these funds. Since the city established childhood lead poisoning prevention as a community-wide priority in December 2016, significant progress has occurred through numerous partnerships and collaboration over the years. One of the more recent examples is the Claremont Lead Action Team. The team originated from a pilot project in 2018 that was funded by an opportunity grant from the Endowment for Health and supported by the Conservation Law Foundation, New Hampshire Legal Assistance and the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority. The Claremont team represents organizations in the city and the surrounding area, including Derek Ferland who is the Sullivan County Administrator. When the team discussed the possibility of applying for HUD funding in 2019, it was decided that the best approach was to apply as a county rather than a municipality to broaden the impact of awarded dollars. The County Commissioners endorsed this approach which proved to be successful.
The infusion of over $1.7 million of HUD funding into Sullivan County is the largest funding opportunity to mitigate lead and other safety hazards in homes. It is the result of years of focused commitment, continuous collaboration and numerous partnerships. By working together, we are making great strides in the prevention of childhood lead poisoning.
Charlene Lovett is the mayor of Claremont and a 22-year Army veteran. She welcomes your feedback. Please email questions, comments or concerns to her at [email protected].
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