HUD awards over $16 million to Michigan organizations to address home health hazards – WWMT-TV

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by Donny Ede | News Channel 3
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The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, has awarded organizations in Michigan over $16 million to protect families from home health hazards.
Funding aims to protect families by addressing significant health and safety hazards, and support local capacity for conducting lead hazard control.
Additionally, funding will help develop local workforces by training and hiring housing renovation and repair contractors, and research efficient methods for identifying and addressing housing-related hazards.
HUD is making these awards under four of its grant programs: Older Adults Home Modification Program, Healthy Homes Production grant program, Lead Hazard Reduction grant program, and the Healthy Homes Technical Studies grant program.
Community Action of South Central Michigan, based in Battle Creek, was awarded $1.75 million in Healthy Homes Production program funding.
Funding will be used to address health and safety hazards for 176 housing units, providing safer homes for families with low or very low income in five counties: Kalamazoo, Branch, Barry, St. Joseph, and Calhoun.
Region IV Area Agency on Aging serves Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties, and is receiving $1 million in Older Adults Home Modification Program grant funding.
This funding will help complete safety and functional home modifications and limited repairs for 124 eligible senior homeowners and renters over the age of 62 with low or very low income.
The work will improve general safety, increase accessibility, and improve residents' functional abilities in their homes, according to officials.
Habitat for Humanity of Michigan, Inc. will receive $2 million in Health Homes Production Grant program funding.
The project will address health and safety hazards in 130 housing units with low or very low income who have historically had little access to resources to correct necessary repairs, officials said.
Specifically, the project aims to address unhealthy conditions found in substandard housing which can lead to asthma, lead-based paint poisoning, respiratory illness, cancer, and more.
In total, HUD awarded over $226 million to state, county, city and Tribal governments throughout the U.S.

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