BOSTON — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded $7,067,857 in grants to local projects in Connecticut recenlty including $2.48 million to the Naugatuck Valley Health District.
Out of those funds, $2.3 million will be used for the Lead Based Paint Hazard Control grant program and $180,000 in healthy homes supplemental funding for the identification and reduction of lead and healthy homes hazards in 200 housing units providing safer homes for low and very low-income families with children.
“On behalf of the board of directors of the health district, the mayors of our six Valley towns, and our working partners who all contributed to our success in winning this very competitive federal grant, I want to thank our federal representatives for their vision and leadership in championing the needs of their communities,” said Karen Spargo, NVHD director of health, in a news release. “Childhood lead poisoning is the number one cause of environmental disease in young children even though it is 100 percent preventable.”
The health district will partner with the Ansonia Housing Authority, Beacon Falls, Derby, Naugatuck, the Seymour, and Shelton in the programs.
New Haven and Norwich received similar amounts of funding.
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) applauded the decision of HUD to award $2.48 million each to New Haven and the health district.
“I fought hard to see that HUD was aware of the housing conditions in New Haven and the Valley,” said DeLauro, in a prepared statement, “and I am happy that both were awarded funding that ultimately will help make our children safer.”
