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Mayor Miro Weinberger, Federal Delegation and CEDO Representatives Announce $2.9 Million CEDO Burlington Lead Program Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 29, 2017
Contact:  Katie Vane
               802.734.0617

 

Mayor Miro Weinberger, Federal Delegation and CEDO Representatives Announce $2.9 Million CEDO Burlington Lead Program Award
Funding to Make Homes Safer for Children, Support Hazard Assessments and Remediation in 162 Housing Units

 

Burlington, VT –Today Mayor Miro Weinberger, CEDO Director Noelle MacKay, and representatives of the federal delegation announced the Community and Economic Development Office (CEDO) Burlington Lead Program will be awarded $2.9 million in program funding, one of only 28 Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control grant recipients in the nation. As part of the award, CEDO will also receive $400,000 in Healthy Homes grant funds that will leverage the Lead Program’s presence to reduce other housing-related health hazards. Participants in the press announcement gathered at the property of owner Eric Lafayette, whose multi-family rental unit on 184 North Street benefited from the Lead Program in 2015. Using lead-based paint funds, the CEDO Lead Program replaced old, drafty windows with new energy-efficient windows, repaired interior and exterior walls and siding, and repainted the exterior.

Lead poisoning is a serious hazard for children. It can cause significant health damage that is linked to impairments in behavior and learning. Since 2003, CEDO’s Burlington Lead Program has made 584 homes lead-safe. With this new funding, and in partnership with area nonprofit groups, CEDO will build upon its success and perform hazard assessments and remediation on 162 pre-1978 rental and owner occupied housing units in Burlington and Winooski.

In a joint statement, Senator Patrick Leahy, Senator Bernie Sanders and Congressman Peter Welch said: “As Vermonters, we have been proud to call our state one of the healthiest in the nation, which is in no small part due to our efforts to ensure that everyone has access to safe, affordable housing.  Now, more than ever, we need to be investing in programs that make this critical link between health and housing. That is why, in this year’s federal appropriations bill, we worked to prevent efforts to cut funding for lead hazard control and achieve a $10 million increase for the HUD Healthy Homes Initiative. Burlington CEDO has been a strong steward of these funds for years, and we are glad to know Burlington will continue its role as a national leader in this effort.”

“At a time of uncertainty about the federal government’s future role in solving pressing local challenges, I am grateful for the tremendous work of our Congressional delegation in helping secure millions of dollars to protect our children from lead poisoning and other housing hazards,” said Mayor Miro Weinberger. “This grant will allow CEDO to continue its outstanding work making our homes and communities safer.”

“CEDO’s mission has always focused on helping the most vulnerable in our City, and our Burlington Lead Program provides low and moderate income families with a way to reduce lead paint hazards in their homes, giving children a healthy environment to grow and thrive,” said CEDO Director Noelle MacKay. “This award validates the difference our staff and many community partners have made in our community over the past 14 years. Many thanks to Senators Leahy and Sanders as well as Representative Welch for helping Burlington reduce lead hazards for its most vulnerable.”

“We are thrilled to have received the City’s fifth Lead Hazard Control Grant from HUD, and our community is extremely fortunate to have secured another three years of funding to support this critical work,” said CEDO Housing Program Manager Todd Rawlings. “Not only do occupants enjoy a lead-safe unit at project completion, but property owners benefit from grants and forgivable loans for property improvements such as new windows and freshly painted exteriors.”

“I don’t see any reason why a landlord would hold back,” said Burlington property owner Eric Lafayette. “If there’s a program that’s going to make our places safer and look better, then it’s a no brainer.”

The Burlington Lead Program is now accepting applications for Burlington and Winooski properties. To apply and/or learn more information about lead-based paint or other home health hazards, call CEDO’s Burlington Lead Program at 802-865-LEAD or visit www.burlingtonleadprogram.org.

Funding comes from the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes, which promotes local efforts to eliminate lead-based paint hazards from homes in Burlington and Winooski and educate the public about the dangers of lead-based paint.

 

* Please see CEDO Lead Program before and after image of 184 North Street.

 

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Press Release Date: 
06/29/2017
City Department: 
Mayor's Office