Carper, Coons, Blunt Rochester Announce $1.5 Million to Improve Housing Conditions for Delaware Families

Today, U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons along with Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (all D-Del.) announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Lead Hazard Reduction Capacity Building Grant Program has awarded a $1.5 million grant to the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS). This grant will help protect families from home health and safety hazards as part of a HUD effort to award nearly $70 million in grants across the country that will help transform communities by fixing older housing, preserving affordable housing, and improving the health of children and families in these communities.

The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) will use the grant funding to support Delaware’s Lead Hazard Control Coalition, which aims to prevent lead poisoning in Delaware homes, especially among young children. Additionally, DPH will build outreach partnerships with the Delaware Home Builders Association, the Delaware Workforce Development Board, and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Weatherization Assistance Program to raise awareness about the program.

“Ever since I served as Governor, I’ve been laser-focused on strengthening families and supporting early education,” said Senator Carper. “Ensuring families have a home safe from lead is especially vital to the health, safety, and development of our youngest, most vulnerable Delawareans. I’m proud Delaware is taking this very important step to build the coalition and partnerships necessary to tackle this problem.”

“Lead in Delawareans’ homes is a public health crisis that affects children’s development and prevents too many of our friends and neighbors from living long and healthy lives. We must continue to work to address this challenge until every child in Delaware has nothing to fear from lead exposure,” said Senator Coons. “I’m glad the Biden administration is committed to protecting Americans from lead-based health hazards and is investing these funds to protect Delawareans, particularly in homes occupied by low-income, historically disenfranchised communities.”

“Every Delawarean across our state deserves to live in a safe and healthy home, especially one without the risk of lead poisoning,” said Rep. Blunt Rochester, member of the House Health Subcommittee. “I am proud to have helped secure this HUD grant for the Delaware Division of Public Health to continue its work to prevent lead poisoning in homes across the First State. Together, we are building safer and healthier housing for children and their families across Delaware.”

“The State of Delaware is grateful to be the recipient of this HUD Lead Hazard Reduction Capacity Building grant,” said DPH Director Steve Blessing. “DPH will use grant funds to conduct outreach that will lead directly to the development of a Lead Hazard Control Coalition dedicated to reducing childhood lead poisoning, grow the workforce required to support these programs, and establish outreach partnerships to bring awareness to the availability of the program and establish a pipeline of potential trainees.”