Instead of the Officer Barbrady approach taken by Allentown officials, LV Congressman Charlie Dent has helped secure a $1,380,092 from HUD to build 45 lead safe housing units in Allentown. An addition $2.5 million will go to the state Department of Health to help build 186 lead safe units statewide.
“The health risks linked to lead based paints are profoundly serious, especially to young children," said Congressman Dent in a statement. "I’m pleased that HUD is providing the City of Allentown and the State Health Department with the funds necessary to ameliorate these health dangers in over 200 hundred homes across the state.”
15 comments:
Allentown and Bethlehem both will receive money from the State's grant, allowing for each city to remediate another 19 homes each. Quick correction: they are not building homes, just remediating existing lead hazards. In addition this grant allows for training of contractors on lead safe practices, testing of additional homes to identify lead hazards, and remediation of hazards in the home. This grant is focused mostly on homes where children less than 6 years of age will live! We need to bring more of this money to the Lehigh Valley!
All Hail Dent!!!
Nice reprinting of his press release. He can county on you.
I certainly relied on a news release to prepare this story, but this is an independent account. I thought readers shoukd know that the Feds are making an effort. If it were a republication of a news release I would note that for my readers.
5:35, thanks for the clarification.
Redd, I am no longer allowing incoherent comments from you. if you can post coherent thoughts on MM's blog, you can do it here.
@ 6:28 "Local"
You are absolutely correct in saying that there are lead laden homes throughout the entire area, thanks for helping to promote our cause! Unfortunately, the continued mistrust in the government will hurt you in the end. Take a good thing for a good thing, and stop always throwing a negative point of view assuming that government is trying to hurt the people. You are correct, this is just the beginning, there is a lot more work in front of us, however every home we make safer for a child is a small victory. Stop the mistrust, some of "us" in government are not looking to screw the homeowner but in fact help them.
Furthermore, this grant is scheduled to begin in both cities around the latter part of this year, so if any property owners (rentals included) have children less than 6 years of age in the home, please contact your respective health bureau to learn about the requirements for the grant. Thank you Bernie for remembering Public Health and helping to bring awareness.
I don't understand the math used by government.
How and why is $310,668 per unit required here? Am I the only one that continues to wonder why it costs taxpayers this amount of money to "build" housing units? Is there something special about these $310,688 lead free units?
@ Rich Fegley
That is not the amount of money per unit...it is expected that multiple units will be made lead hazard free. Not sure what made you think each unit would cost more than the average home in the Lehigh Valley.
It's not 1 in 4 kids in Allentown. Fewer than 20% of children were tested for this study. Because the testing is mandatory for children on public assistance and voluntary for others we can assume the following:
- Families on assistance are more likely to live in homes where lead exposure is a problem.
- People who suspect they might be exposed to lead are more likely to fill out the form and request testing.
I'm not suggesting it isn't a serious problem, but I'd like to see a real number and have this clarified in articles on the topic.
I'm aware that it was a limited sample. When Allentown tried to downplay this, it kept saying that.
Dent's press release says:
"The City of Allentown is receiving $1,380,092 in Lead-Based Hazard Control (LHC) grant funds to aid in the production of 45 lead-safe housing units in the City."
$1,380,092 for 45 units is $30,669 per housing unit.
Dr. John Snow, is there something that I am missing?
My bad. I was missing proper math. My concern has been with how money was spent on the Cumberland Gardens "renovations".
Sorry.
Don't be sorry. I am happy you question everything as you do.
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