***PRESS RELEASE*** WESTCHESTER COUNTY EXECUTIVE GEORGE LATIMER ANNOUNCES $4.1 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT TO ADDRESS LEAD HAZARDS IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

WESTCHESTER COUNTY EXECUTIVE GEORGE LATIMER ANNOUNCES $4.1 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT TO ADDRESS LEAD HAZARDS IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY.

Funding Will Ensure Safe and Healthy Affordable Homes in Westchester County.

Lead Hazard Grants are the first the County has received since 2010.

Watch the full News Conference HERE.

(Ossining, NY) – For the first time since 2010, Westchester County Executive George Latimer announced $4.1 million in federal funding to conduct healthy home assessments and help low income homeowners remediate lead-based paint in their homes. Applications are now available to property owners and rental building owners who qualify for lead-based paint remediation through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Lead Hazard Demonstration Grant Funds, and Healthy Homes Supplemental Funds. The funds will be used to protect families with limited resources from health hazards that can be associated with lead-based paint, and provide assistance to those who may have homes with affected surfaces. The grant will allow for approximately 240 properties to be rehabilitated over the course of three years.

Latimer said: “Every Westchester County resident, regardless of their economic status, deserves to live in a home that is safe, healthy and free from hazardous substances. Because of these federal funds, Westchester County will be able to address lead paint hazards and perform healthy home assessments in homes across the County. Ultimately, these funds will help save lives by providing safer homes for hard-working Westchester County families.” 

Westchester County has been awarded $3.5 million for the Lead Based Paint Hazard Reduction program, and $600,000 in Health Homes Supplemental funding from HUD. Property owners, including rental property landlords, are eligible if the property and the occupants meet the program requirements. The funding is income eligible, but available to be used in any community in Westchester County. Remediation efforts can include an assessment of lead and other safety hazards, and the replacement, encapsulation or rehabilitation of affected surfaces. Funds will be awarded on a first come, first served basis based on a home inspection that determines the presence of lead. Priority consideration will be given to households with a child under the age of 6, or a pregnant woman. 

Congressman Eliot Engel (NY-16) said: “Safe, affordable housing is important to an individual’s health and wellbeing. It should be a human right. I am pleased this federal grant money will go to Westchester to help ensure that my constituents have access to the type of housing that will improve their health and quality of life. I applaud County Executive Latimer for his commitment to supporting affordable housing in Westchester.”

Congresswoman Nita Lowey (NY-17) said: “All of our children deserve to live in a safe, healthy home no matter where they live. Critical to their safety is reducing lead-based paint hazards and prioritizing affordable housing. I applaud Westchester County for investing in a safer tomorrow by putting federal dollars to good use here at home. As Chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, I will continue working in Congress to secure vital resources for housing improvements in Westchester and across the Lower Hudson Valley.”

Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) said: “This grant program will make the Hudson Valley a safer and healthier place to live by getting dangerous contaminants like lead out of homes here in Westchester.  I encourage New Yorkers to take advantage of the Lead Safe Westchester Program, and look forward to continuing to support programs that investment in the health of Hudson Valley residents and families.”

Commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Planning Norma Drummond said: “Our affordable housing efforts have always included the rehabilitation and preservation of existing housing. Having these funds will allow us to once again have the resources to assist lower income households with their housing rehabilitation needs.”

Commissioner of Health Sherlita Amler, MD said: “On behalf of the County Health Department, I am thrilled that Westchester County is the recipient of this grant. This will help homeowners and tenants partner with us to protect children from the dangers of lead paint, joining parents and caregivers in this effort to remove the source of lead by replacing old windows or eliminating lead painted surfaces. Safely removing lead paint from homes will protect future generations of children from the negative health effects of lead.  Lead is a toxic mineral that can cause damage to children’s developing brains and other vital organs as well as decreased learning and behavior problems. There is no known safe exposure level for lead.”

Ossining Mayor Victoria Gearity said: “Ossining residents have benefited from Westchester County’s longstanding commitment to ensuring healthy and affordable housing.  This new program extends that commitment by providing our families with both resources and peace of mind.”

For more information about Lead Safe Westchester, click HERE.

To view a Lead Safe Westchester application, click HERE.