The city of Jackson, Miss., has been awarded a $1.3 million grant by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to address exposure to lead-based paint, local television station WAPT-TV reports. The funding will go towards testing and removing lead-based paint in low-income houses built prior to 1978 in Jackson.
Project leaders said they’ve tested about 70 houses so far, and 30 have come back with lead hazards. The area of most concern is west Jackson, where 100% of homes tested have come back lead-positive, city leaders said. It’s especially concerning for children, said Mary Mannogin, lead-safe Jackson housing program manager.
“A very interesting fact about lead-based paint: It’s sweet, so that’s why we target households with children in the home under the age of 6. They will chew on the paint because it is sweet. They will snack on it, like it’s a snack,” Mannogin said.
HUD has awarded numerous grants nationwide recently to help cities and counties remove lead-based paint in housing units. In total, HUD awarded more than $139 million to 48 state and local government agencies to protect children and families from lead-based paint and home health hazards, as reported in a December 2018 announcement. HUD estimates its recent investments will aid in improving outcomes in approximately 6,500 low-income homes across the country.
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