BY BRIDGET TURCOTTE
LYNN — The city received nearly $3 million to address a hazard that affects thousands of Lynn homes.
Lynn is among 23 agencies awarded a total of $52.6 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to remove lead paint from low-income households.
The city will receive $2.5 million from the Lead Based Paint Hazard Control grant program funding, and $400,000 in Healthy Homes Supplemental funding. With the money, the Lynn Housing Authority & Neighborhood Development (LHAND) anticipates it will be able to eliminate lead paint in more than 150 homes. Lead paint was outlawed in 1978.
Peggy Phelps, LHAND’s director of planning, said between 2010 and 2013, the city received $7 million and has deleaded about 450 units.
But Jeff Weeber, manager of the Lead Program at LHAND, said while the federal money is appreciated, it’s just a drop in the bucket. He estimated that there are about 25,000 units that could still contain lead paint.
He noted that it may not be easy to tell whether or not a home contains lead, but said it’s common in older houses that have not been renovated. Weeber also said lead is commonly found on built-in china cabinets and door frames, or other details.
Lead can harm the brain, kidneys and nervous system of children, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Even low levels of lead can make it hard for children to learn and behave. Because lead poisoning often occurs with no obvious symptoms, it often goes unrecognized. A simple screening test is the only way to identify a child with elevated blood lead levels.
“Our goal is to eliminate lead paint in all of the homes in Lynn,” said Phelps. “Most rental units may already be deleaded due to the fact that landlords have been proactive about it for a number of years. We’ve done several single-family homes with our grants.”
Owner-occupied homes with an income under 80 percent of the area median income and rental units under 60 percent of the area median income are eligible. The family applies for the program, is reviewed and an inspector evaluates the home, Phelps said.
The cost to delead a home starts at about $8,000 and takes about a week. If additional problems are found that are dangerous to the tenants or the people completing the work, including asbestos or electrical problems, money from the Healthy Homes Supplement is used to fix them.
“We’re excited, because this funding will continue our efforts to delead as many homes as we can,” Phelps said.
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte.