The Alabama Department of Public Health and The University of Alabama have received a $2 million grant to remove environmental and safety hazards from about 150 homes in the Black Belt.
Homeowners in 11 counties, including Dallas, Wilcox and Perry, can apply for a no-cost assessment where Healthy Homes inspectors from the UA SafeState program will evaluate potential hazards and coordinate the improvement of the home, prioritizing environmental and safety hazards.
During the 42-month grant period, the program will identify and fix environmental hazards like indoor air quality, mold and moisture, pests, carbon monoxide, lead-based paint, asbestos and radon, as well as general safety hazards like indoor and outdoor structural issues in about 150 homes.
The program is directed at privately owned, low-income rental and/or owner-occupied housing, especially in units and/or buildings where families with children, older adults 62 years and older, or families with persons with disabilities reside. The goal will be to maximize both the number of vulnerable residents protected from housing-related hazards and the number of housing units where these hazards are controlled, according to a news release.
Some officials from Black Belt communities who met in Tuscaloosa on March 25 to learn about the program complained that the grant won’t come close to meeting the need. The emphasis on home ownership was also an issue because so many poor people in the Black Belt rent their homes.
Michael Rasbury, director of UA SafeState Environmental Programs, acknowledged at the meeting that $2 million is insufficient to meet housing needs in 11 counties, but he said that they hope the program can generate enough assessments to justify more grants in the future. A landlord who receives a grant will not be allowed to raise the rent after the improvements, he said.
“This program not only allows us to identify health and safety issues in these underserved communities, but it also gives us the resources to solve some of the problems. Qualifying participants can receive up to $10,000 for repairs designed to reduce or eliminate identified hazards,” Rasbury said.
Applications will be accepted on a first-come-first-served basis, Rasbury said. Officials hold events and work with area media, local leaders, nonprofits and faith-based groups to spread the word about the program, he said.
The program will also be seeking qualified contractors to do the repairs, especially those who are employing low-income workers, according to documents handed out at the meeting.
Applicants will be asked to provide information about their income, the makeup of the family living in the home, health history and housing information. Applicants must earn below 80% of the Alabama median income.
The University of Alabama SafeState Program and the Alabama Life Research Institute will help manage the $2 million grant award and remediation activities. Alabama is among 29 states to share $104.7 million in Healthy Homes Production Grant Program funds awarded by HUD.
Alabama counties included in the grant are Choctaw, Clarke, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Sumter and Wilcox.
For more information, visit alabamasafestate.ua.edu/healthyhomes/.
Debrah Fisher contributed to this report.
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