New Jersey Awards Over $38 Million to Combat Childhood Lead Poisoning Crisis

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New Jersey Fights Childhood Lead Poisoning with $38 Million in Grant Funding for Nonprofits and Local Governments

Governor Phil Murphy and Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver have announced that over $38 million will be granted to nonprofits and local governments across New Jersey through the Lead Remediation and Abatement Grant Program. 

This move is a part of the Murphy-Oliver Administration's aim to invest $180 million in American Rescue Plan State Fiscal Recovery Funds to tackle the issue of childhood lead poisoning. The funds will be used to identify and address lead-based paint hazards in the state.

20 organizations have been selected to receive funding in the first tranche of funding, while a second, more significant tranche of funding will be announced by the end of the state fiscal year in June. Organizations proposing innovative methods of abatement and rapid response to emerging issues will have access to a separate pool of funding.

The grant funds will be utilized to remove lead-based paint hazards through abatement, encapsulation, or replacement. Encapsulation and replacement are temporary measures, while abatement provides a long-term solution to removing lead-based paint hazards. Proposals serving areas with the highest number of children under six with elevated blood lead levels will be prioritized.

The work will follow the EPA's Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) rule from 2010. The RRP requires certified firms to perform renovation, repair, and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes built before 1978. The work standards include containing the work area, avoiding high-dust-generating work practices, and adhering to a specific cleaning protocol after finishing the paint-disturbing tasks. Grantees will be required to report program data to DCA at predetermined intervals, which will be analyzed to develop best practices and potential program expansion.

DCA has provided a comprehensive guide on lead-based paint in rental dwellings, which is available on their website. Additionally, the state departments of Health and Environmental Protection have launched an expanded version of the Potential Lead Exposure Mapping (PLEM) tool that provides new publicly available data indicating potential sources of lead exposure. The tool can be found online.

Agency

Children w/ Elevated Blood Lead Levels

Pre-1978 Residential Properties

Award Amount

Service Area

Passaic County

355

64,597

$1,500,000

Passaic County

Saint Joseph's Carpenter Society

153

190,027

$1,500,000

Burlington County and Camden County

Greater Bergen Community Action Inc.

224

192,560

$1,341,865

Bergen County and City of Paterson

La Casa de Don Pedro

764

130,398

$1,600,000

Essex County

Native American Advancement Corp.

74

50,847

$1,122,336

Atlantic County and Cape May County

PROCEED

361

157,135

$3,000,000

Somerset County and Union County

Isles, Inc.

195

71,261

$2,000,000

Mercer County

Morris County Organization for Hispanic Affairs

55

92,195

$500,000

Morris County

Paterson City

95

3,813

$1,600,000

City of Paterson

Community Affairs and Resource Center

379

276,927

$3,100,000

Atlantic County, Middlesex County, Monmouth County

United Community Corporation

764

130,398

$1,200,000

Essex County

NORWESCAP

19

67,143

$200,000

Hunterdon County, Sussex County, Warren County

Puertorriquenos Asociados for Community Organization, Inc.

324

61,458

$1,000,000

Hudson County

City Of Plainfield

63

8,501

$1,600,000

City of Plainfield

Passaic City

42

5,683

$480,189

City of Passaic

Light Up Your World

153

190,027

$4,000,000

Burlington County and Camden County

Newark City

141

23,006

$1,600,000

City of Newark

Puerto Rican Action Committee of Southern New Jersey, Inc.

140

14,548

$3,331,017

Cape May County, Cumberland County, Salem County

Green & Healthy Homes Initiative Inc.

78

19,760

$1,600,000

City of Trenton

Gateway Community Action Partnership

158

58,606

$6,000,000

Cumberland County, Gloucester County, Salem County

Total Investment: $38,275,407.30





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