Funding available to test and correct lead dangers in Albion, Batavia homes

Priority will be given to pre-1978 homes with children under 6, children with elevated blood-lead levels, or a pregnant female

Press Release, Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments

Live in or own a home or rental unit built before 1978? Do young children living in the home? Worried about lead paint?

Most homes built before 1978 contain old lead paint. Lead is a metal that can harm children and adults when it gets into their bodies. If paint peels, cracks, or is worn down, the chips and dust from the old lead paint can spread onto floors, windowsills, and all around your home.

Young children who lick, swallow, or breathe in dust from old lead paint can develop lead poisoning. Although lead paint is the most common form of exposure, lead can also be found in water, soil, and in some products used in and around the home, such as imported china or inexpensive jewelry.

“Exposure to lead can seriously harm a child’s health and cause damaging health effects,” said Paul Pettit, Public Health Director of Genesee and Orleans Counties. “Lead has the ability to damage to the brain and nervous system, slow growth and development, cause learning and behavior problems, and effect hearing and speech. Lead can also be passed from mother to baby during pregnancy.”

These are the maximum household income limits to qualify.

The Genesee–Orleans Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes Program aims to identify lead hazards within the home and provide resources where they are needed most. This is a federally-funded grant program through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to help qualified residents in the City of Batavia and the Village of Albion remove lead from their home for little to no cost. (Click here to see the census tracts where properties are eligible in the program. Properties must be located in one of the following census tracts: 9507, 9508, 9510, and 0407.)

Certified and trained workers may replace windows, doors, fresh paint, trim, siding, flooring, and more. Eligible properties must also be built prior to 1978, have a child under the age of 6 living in or frequently visiting the home (this includes pregnant women) or have a child with elevated blood lead levels, and be found to have lead-based paint hazards.

To complete an application, please call the Genesee County Health Department at 585-344-2580 x5555. After eligibility approval, a risk assessment of your home will be conducted to identify potential lead hazards and how they can be fixed. A certified contractor with complete the work and follow up testing will be completed to make sure your home meets the safety standards.

Property owners can also receive help through the Genesee–Orleans Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes Program. If your rental property has no more than four apartments and was built before 1978, you may be eligible for help in testing and correcting lead hazards.

Landlords renting to families within the City of Batavia or the Village of Albion within the income limits listed above may be eligible. (Properties must be located in one of the following census tracts: 9507, 9508, 9510, and 0407.)

Priority will be given to homes where children under the age of 6 live, as well as to those that house children who have elevated blood-lead levels, or a pregnant female.

Participating owners must also agree to maintain rents at affordable levels (please see table below). Owners are required to contribute 10% of the project cost. If necessary, the program can temporarily relocate tenants while the work is being performed.

For more information on the Genesee–Orleans Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes Grant Program, please email health.GOlead@co.genesee.ny.us or call 585-344-2580 x5555.