The Maine State Housing Authority has been awarded $3.4 million in federal dollars for lead abatement efforts.
With the money, the authority says it will address lead hazards in housing units for low- and very-low-income families with children.
MaineHousing spokesperson Deborah Turcotte says that, in addition to getting the lead paint out of homes, the authority will be providing ways to remove lead dust.
“Our concern is children, of course, who may touch something, put the dust in their mouths, unbeknownst to them and, over a period of time, contract lead poisoning,” she says.
Turcotte says priority will be given to homes in which children have been diagnosed with lead poisoning. She says others who think their homes contain lead paint, or want them tested, should contact their local community action agency. The funds should allow work on a couple of hundred homes.
The Housing Authority will also perform so-called healthy homes interventions in a number of units. This initiative takes a comprehensive approach rather than addressing a single hazard.
