Fort Wayne’s Office of Housing and Neighborhood Services received nearly $700,000 in state funds to help with lead paint remediation.
The city will partner with the Allen County Department of Health to identify children with elevated blood lead levels, and then help remove lead paint from their homes, homes where they attend daycare or homes where they visit frequently.
The $680,000 grant will help remove lead paint in about 40 local homes owned or rented by residents making 80 percent of the area’s median income. The health department will also make referrals to the city based on outcomes of the testing of children.
The Department of Health has an eight-question quiz on its website to help parents or guardians of children ages 1 to 6 determine whether they should have their children tested. To take the test, visit www.allencountyhealth.com.
An estimated 66 percent of Fort Wayne’s housing stock was built before 1978 and could contain lead hazards, according to a release from the city.
City officials wait to hear if it will be awarded another, larger, lead remediation grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
