The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today is awarding more than $13 million in grants to 25 local projects to conduct a wide range of activities that include eliminating lead and housing-related hazards in thousands of homes; training workers in lead and healthy homes interventions; supporting research to improve home safety efforts; increasing public awareness, and evaluating outreach on controlling housing-based hazards.

Lead is a known toxin that can impair children’s development and have effects lasting into adulthood. The incidence of asthma linked directly to housing-related hazards costs the U.S. economy approximately $3.5 billion each year.

“Every child deserves to grow up in a healthy home and yet far too many continue to be exposed to potentially dangerous lead and other health hazards,” said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. “These grants will not only help to clean up lead and other home health hazards but will support innovative new approaches to make all our homes healthier places to live.”

“To grow up healthy, children need to live in healthy homes,” said HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims. “Housing is both a critical sector of our economy as well as a key source of wealth, security and stability for America’s families.”

In the past year HUD has awarded over $232 million in Lead and Healthy Homes grants, including $100 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act; $116 million in Lead Hazard Control and Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration grants; and $13 million in this announcement for Healthy Homes, Tech Studies and Green Initiatives.

via HUD