HUD to distribute $20M toward combating low-income housing safety concerns

Nearly $20 million in federal funds is being distributed across the country to combat health and safety hazards in low-income housing developments, a spokesperson for the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today. The funds will be distributed for retrofitting and repair projects, as well as research programs that are aimed at better combating safety and health issues in subsidized multi-family housing communities. Among the hazards targeted in the program are environmentally triggered asthma and childhood lead poisoning. Ron Sims, deputy secretary of HUD, said that the program addresses a vital concern in low-income housing communities. “More than 6 million families in the U.S. live in homes with moderate to severe physical housing problems,” Sims said. TRD