Eric Lacy

Lansing State Journal

LANSING -- The City of Lansing and Ingham County has secured $2.3 million to jump start Mayor Virg Bernero's "Get the Lead Out of Lansing" initiative, according to a press release from Bernero's office.

The federal funding, made public Thursday, was awarded under HUD's Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration grant program and is expected to be used to remediate lead-based paint and other environmental hazards at up to 150 residential dwellings in Lansing.

The grant will be matched with $775,000 in local funds and "in-kind support" from the city’s Community Development Block Grant program and from the Ingham County Health Department, the press release said.

Bernero said in a statement the HUD grant "demonstrates once again the extraordinary power of partnerships."

"We know that lead is a dangerous poison that can have devastating health impacts on young children," Bernero said in a statement. "We also know that the largest single source of lead poisoning in children is lead-based paint. That’s why we are redoubling our efforts to get the lead out of older Lansing homes, especially those where a pregnant woman or child under age six resides."

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Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail said in the release that more than 1,700 children have been poisoned by lead in the community since 2008. She added that lead hazards "rob children of future success by causing them to fall behind in school" and increase behavioral problems.

"The only way to truly tackle the problem of lead poisoning is with the city and county working hand-in-hand," Vail said in a statement. "One of our greatest challenges is testing and remediation in rental properties, which account for more than 70 percent of cases."

The "Get the Lead Out of Lansing" initiative will include "targeted outreach to families and children who have elevated blood levels," including the city's refugee population. Grant funds are expected to provide the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting program training to at least 70 landlords. The initiative will also provide state-sponsored lead abatement testing and certification to 50 qualified people.

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Lansing's budget for the 2017 fiscal year, starting July 1, includes $100,000 from the general fund to pay for lead testing in homes. In 2014, 103 Lansing children under the age of 6 had an elevated blood lead level. The number represents 3.4 % of Lansing’s 10,236 children, according to the press release.

Ingham County Health Department data states that 90% to 95% of lead-poisoned children in the county live in Lansing. Of those poisoned children, 70% live in rental housing, and 60% are refugee children.

"As the leader in lead paint hazard control, HUD's grant awards are one of our strongest efforts to prevent lead poisoning among children," HUD Secretary Julián Castro said in a statement. "These awards will help clean up lead paint hazards in thousands of low-income homes across the nation, eliminating the sources of permanent health and behavioral problems that lead poisoning brings."

Eric Lacy is a reporter for the Lansing State Journal. Contact him at 517-377-1206 or elacy@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @EricLacy.