Local Orgs Join State to Remove Lead from Milwaukee Homes
Social Development Commission and Habitat for Humanity will assist in renovation of 150 homes.
Ofelia Mondragon’s “wake-up call” to the dangers of lead poisoning came in 2014, when her daughter had high lead levels at age 2.
After struggling to get the care her daughter needed, she recognized the importance of helping others and their families stay safe.
Now, Mondragon works as a key contributor to the Lead Safe Homes Program, a program from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services that removes lead paint, dust and soil in residents’ home.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, homes built before 1978 are at greater risk of lead paint, soil and dust exposure. This can occur when lead paint previously used on the homes begins to chip or flake. That exposure can cause lead poisoning.
The Lead Safe Homes Program is available to families with children and pregnant women who are eligible for BadgerCare or Medicaid. Homes in the program must be built before 1978.
The program removes lead paint, dust and soil but does not handle lead service line replacement. It does provide point-of-use water filters when applicable.
Brian Weaver, lead policy adviser with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, said the program has been around since fall 2019.
“The demand is great in Wisconsin,” Weaver said. “We’ll need a multi-pronged approach, honestly, to be able to address all the potential lead hazards and older properties.”
He said there’s an estimated 350,000 homes with potential lead-based paint hazards.
Weaver said the goal is to renovate 150 properties per year in Milwaukee.
The goal for the state is 400 properties per year, Weaver said. The program has funds to invest $35,000 per property.
Mondragon said her team served 74 homes since the beginning of the year. The ultimate goal for 2021 is 100 homes served, and by the end of June 2022, another 100 added to that.
Eric Neeb, critical home repair manager with Habitat for Humanity Milwaukee, said the program plans to target the Midtown and Harambee neighborhoods, two areas where much of the housing stock is older than 1978.
While the program lends support statewide, Weaver said it will operate heavily in Milwaukee.
“We know that there’s a need everywhere in the state,” Weaver said. “We’re making sure that we are prioritizing that and those high-need populations where we see the greatest need.”
How to participate
Property owners can apply for the program, and tenants are encouraged to ask their landlords to participate.
2 Milwaukee organizations team up with state to remove lead paint, dust and soil was originally published by the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service.
More about the Lead Crisis
- Senator Baldwin Delivers Nearly $2 Million to Keep Wausau Families Safe from Lead Contamination - U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin - Apr 12th, 2024
- IRS Rules that Homeowners Won’t Have to Pay Additional Taxes for Subsidized Replacement of Lead Pipes - Milwaukee Water Works - Feb 29th, 2024
- Milwaukee Makes It Far Easier To Replace Your Lead Service Line - Jeramey Jannene - Dec 18th, 2023
- Congresswoman Gwen Moore Praises Biden Administration Effort to Remove Lead Pipes in 10 Years - U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore - Nov 30th, 2023
- Biden-Harris Administration Announces Partnership with 10 Wisconsin Communities to Accelerate Lead Service Line Replacement as Part of Investing in America Agenda - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Nov 2nd, 2023
- Evers, DNR Announce $402 Million Funding to Improve Local Drinking Water - Henry Redman - Oct 24th, 2023
- How EPA’s Proposed Lead Dust Rules Would Impact Wisconsin - Farrah Anderson - Aug 30th, 2023
- City Regulators Can Require Fixing of Lead Hazards — If They Can Find Landlords - Farrah Anderson - Aug 29th, 2023
- MPS Hopeful New Filters Will Keep Water Safe - Evan Casey - Aug 29th, 2023
- City Seeks Firm To Manage Its Accelerating Lead Pipe Replacements - Jeramey Jannene - Aug 9th, 2023
Read more about Lead Crisis here
Is there any way to combine this lead-abatement renovation with energy efficiency renovation? I would guess many of these older homes do not have dual pane, energy efficient windows. As long as work is going to be done around the windows, it makes sense to kill two birds with one stone.