Federal grant to help Omaha target lead in homes

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.livewellnebraska.com/health/federal-grant-to-help-omaha-target-lead-in-homes/article_3b7d7454-a4be-5189-92c5-6707782b4f00.html

Posted: Tuesday, September 8, 2015 1:00 am
By Erika Stewart-Finkenstaedt / World-Herald staff writer

A $2.2 million grant dedicated to reducing lead in homes was awarded last week to the City of Omaha by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The grant will help curtail potential lead poisoning in 135 families, according to a department press release.

“Every child deserves the chance to grow up in a safe and healthy home. Today, we take another important step to help eliminate potentially dangerous lead hazards and to make these homes healthier and safer places for families to call home,” HUD Secretary Julián Castro said in the press release.

Steve Zivny, an Omaha city planner, said the target area for the lead effort is the eastern portion of the city — specifically east of 42nd Street, from Interstate 680 to Harrison Street. The area, which has many older homes, has the city’s highest concentration of children with lead in their blood, according to Zivny.

FULL story at link.