TOLEDO, Ohio —
The city of Toledo announced a new grant program to help homeowners control lead in their properties.
The city has offered programs before like the lead paint remediation grant and lead line replacement program, but the need is still there.
"At any given time there are 3,400 children in Lucas County that are identified with high lead levels," Gloria Smith, the lead case manager for Lucas County Health Department said.
Lead paint was banned in 1978, but approximately 80% of the properties in the city were built before then, according to Monica Smith, the lead safe coordinator for the city of Toledo.
"One of the things we want to do is we just want to make sure people have a safe property to live in," Monica Smith said.
The Lead Stabilization Grant Program, sponsored by the Ohio Department of Health, is to help ensure people have a safe home. The city is offering residents full reimbursement of up to $15,000 for lead stabilization activities. Some of the reimbursable costs include an inspection by a lead inspector, painting materials and roof repairs.
Homeowners and landlords are eligible if the property was built before 1978 and located in the city of Toledo limits. The property taxes must be current. There are no income guidelines to apply.
The application has only a few questions and then requires pre-documents.
"Those are going to be things such as the before photos of the unit that's going to have the activities completed on it," Monica Smith said. "That would be a vendor registration form as well as a W-9 form."
Once an applicant gets approval, they can start getting work done and submit paperwork for reimbursement.
If exposure goes unaddressed, it can become an issue for the health department. When children are exposed to lead paint in older homes, it can lead to developmental issues.
"Lead poisoning can be detrimental to everyone in some form or fashion, but we focus on the little ones because they're just growing," Gloria Smith said.
There is no cure for lead poisoning, so Gloria Smith said prevention is one of the most important things to do. The Lucas County Health Department has more information on its website about lead poisoning and offers free lead screening.
The grant application is open now until June 30 or until funds run out. The work has to be completed by Sept. 30 for reimbursement.