Connecticut plans to spend $20 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds on a limited-time state program to help homeowners remove lead paint hazards from older houses.
Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani said the Lead Free CT program aims to make older homes where children or pregnant women live lead-safe.
“I have heard from so many families who say…isn't lead in homes like something in the past. Well, guess what? We still have old housing stock right here in Connecticut,” she said.
That’s why she encourages owners of older houses in minority neighborhoods that have not recently been renovated to apply for the free program.
“There are more Black and Brown young children who have been intoxicated with lead overall in our state. That is what we’ve seen for decades. And that is why it is such an important public health problem and one that needs to be addressed,” Juthani said.
Chris Cocoran, the manager at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center’s Healthy Homes, which runs the program, said the goal is to remediate at least 250 homes in the two years that money would be available.
“Assuming the property owner qualifies, we send out one of our licensed consultants to do a lead inspection risk assessment to determine what lead hazards exist in the home and how we remove those hazards,” Cocoran said.
Participation in the limited-time program is voluntary and free of charge to homeowners and landlords. The first abatements are expected to begin before the end of the month.
