Worcester gets $5.6M for low-income housing lead abatement
Photo/Grant Welker
Worcester City Hall
Worcester has been awarded $5.6 million from the U.S. government to address lead hazards in 250 housing units for low-income families with children and perform other corrective action in 120 units.
The funds, from two different programs from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, is the largest award the city has ever received for the abatement of lead paint hazards.
Worcester has been working with the department since 2007 and has been awarded more than $15 million in grants since then.
The city will conduct lead abatement in 350 low-income housing units and perform healthy homes interventions in 120 other units, partnering with UMass Memorial Children’s Medical Center, the Southeast Asian Coalition and the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center.
Healthy home intervention actions include addressing damp and mold growth, radiation, domestic hygiene, personal hygiene, sanitation and drainage, electrical hazards and building codes.
Worcester has a large percentage of housing stock from the Industrial Revolution era, and a lot of that housing stock needs significant work to make it safe for children, the city said in a press release.
Per the American Community Survey’s five-year estimate, 87% of the city’s housing stock was built before 1978.
According to the city, more than 19% of families with children under the age of five live below the poverty line.
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