by Nick Castele
Update 8/27/15: On Thursday, HUD announced that Cuyahoga County would also receive $2.9 million for lead abatement work. The state of Ohio will also receive $2.9 million.
Original story:
The federal government is sending nearly $7 million to Northeast Ohio to help remove lead risks from hundreds of contaminated houses and apartments.
Cleveland and Akron will each receive around $3.4 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
That money will go to pay contractors to work on 470 housing units where lead paint could pose a threat to low-income families and children. Lead poisoning is linked to cognitive problems that can follow a person into adulthood.
There's no good count on how many homes in Northeast Ohio carry lead paint on their walls, floors, doorframes or windowsills. In Cuyahoga County, the number could be as high as hundreds of thousands.
Cleveland has been receiving federal money to deal with contamination for two decades-but until this week, the city hadn't won a grant in several years. Cuyahoga County recently ran short on funding as well.
City officials will administer the money alongside several nonprofits, including Neighborhood Connections, a program of the Cleveland Foundation.
You can follow more of our coverage of lead poisoning online at ideastream.org/lead.
