NEW YORK – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded nearly $104.7 million to 60 non-profit organizations, and state and local government agencies located in 29 states to protect children and families from home health hazards. In New York, HUD awarded $6,614,964totheBishop Sheen Ecumenical Housing Foundation, Inc. in Rochester;  Home HeadQuarters, Inc., Syracuse; Seneca Nation of Indians; and Chautauqua County. Please see the chart with funding amounts below.

HUD is providing these grants through its Healthy Homes Production Grant Program which will help grantees identify health and safety hazards in low-income families’ homes. The grants will protect children and families with incomes at or below eighty percent of the area median income level by targeting significant lead and health hazards in over 7,400 low-income homes for which other resources are not available.

“By providing these grants, HUD makes it clear that ensuring healthy and safe homes for communities across our nation is a priority,” said Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “HUD is working every day to keep families safe from home health hazards like lead paint because for many Americans, their home is a primary determinate of their health, and that is why HUD is committed to protecting families from these hazards and to providing healthy and sustainable housing for all Americans.” 

“Children must grow up in a home free of health hazards, and this federal funding will go a long way to assist stakeholders in Rochester, Syracuse, Chautauqua County, and the Seneca Nation of Indians to identify hundreds of homes that pose risks,” said Stephen Murphy, HUD Deputy Regional Administrator for New York and New Jersey. “Health and housing go hand-in-hand, and HUD will continue to invest in the health of children and families in New York that need it most.” 

The grants announced today emphasize the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to solving the nation’s lead crisis. In December, HUD awarded nearly $13.2 million in grants to state and local government agencies in 3 states through its Lead Based Paint Hazard Reduction (LBPHR) Grant Program to identify and clean up dangerous lead, and health and safety hazards in low-income families’ homes. 

The Healthy Homes Production Grant Program takes a comprehensive approach to addressing multiple childhood diseases and injuries in the home by focusing on housing-related hazards in a coordinated fashion, rather than addressing a single hazard at a time. The program builds upon HUD’s successful Lead Hazard Control programs to expand the Department’s efforts to holistically address a variety of high-priority housing-based health and safety hazards, such as mold and moisture, poor indoor air quality, pests, carbon monoxide, injury and safety hazards, in addition to lead-based paint.   

In the coming weeks, grantees will begin setting up and implementing their programs and will make applications available for families who are interested and eligible for their local Healthy Homes Program.  

Below is a breakdown of the funding announced today for New York: 

Information about HUD’s Healthy Homes Production Grant Program: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/healthy_homes/hhi

HUD’s mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all.

More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and http://espanol.hud.gov

You can also connect with HUD on social media and follow Secretary Fudge on Twitter and Facebook or sign up for news alerts on HUD’s Email List.