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 White Plains, NY - A $1 million federal grant for the removal of lead-based paint was awarded to Westchester County and is earmarked to help make the properties of landlords and homeowners “lead safe.”
The grant, received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, will allow the county’s Department of Planning to continue its successful Lead Safe Westchester (LSW) program. Since 1999, the county has obtained $11 million in grants for this program and has done lead abatement in 1,200 housing units. The new grant will allow for upgrades to an additional 70 units that were built prior to 1940.
Lead can cause neurological and motors delays, particularly in young children who are more likely to ingest paint chips. To address this problem, the priority for this funding will be housing units of income-eligible families with children under six-years of age.
To apply for the LSW grant or for information, contact the Department of Planning at 995-2433, or by e-mail at
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. For more information about lead poisoning and its prevention, call the Westchester County Department of Health at 813-5000.
Homeowners and landlords of single-family or multi-family homes may be eligible for the grants if the occupant’s household meets the income requirements based on household size. For a household of four persons the total household income must not exceed $84,200 (equal to 80 percent of Westchester’s Area Median Income. All improvements would be performed by licensed, qualified lead contractors approved by the county.
Because 85 percent of the county’s housing stock was built before 1979 – prior to the year when legislation prohibited lead as an ingredient in paint – many older Westchester homes may be threatened by the potential health hazard of lead poisoning. Window replacement in these older homes will continue to be an important element of the LSW program, as the friction caused by opening and closing of windows can produce lead dust and chips. In addition to eliminating the environmental hazards of lead poisoning in children, new windows will also help lower heating costs, increase property values and create more secure buildings.
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