Lead Paint Demon. Pro FundingMEMORANDUM
April 29, 2002
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
Application for Lead Paint Demonstration Project Funding
The Housing and Community Development Department has received notice of an
opportunity to apply for funds offered by the Community Environmental Health
Resource Center, a project of the National Alliance to End Childhood Lead Poisoning.
Housing and Community Development Department Director David Harris is requesting
City Council authorization to submit an application for a $100,000 grant in partnership
with the Visiting Nurse Association, to enhance the work of the current Lead Paint
Hazard Reduction Program administered by the Housing and Community Development
Department.
I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council
approval.
Michael C. Van Milligen
MCVM/jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
David Harris, Housing and Community Development Director
CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA
MEMORANDUM
24 April 02
To: Mike Van Milligen, City Manager
From: David Harris, Housing and Community Development Department
Re: Application for lead paint demonstration project funding
Introduction
The purpose of this memorandum is to request the City Council's authorization to
submit an application for funds to enhance the work of the current Lead Paint
Hazard Reduction Program administered by the Housing and Community
Development Department.
Discussion
We have received notice of an opportunity to apply for funds offered by the
Community Environmental Health Resource Center, a project of the National
Alliance to End Childhood Lead Poisoning. We have prepared an application in
partnership with the Visiting Nurse Association, which, by terms of the
application, must serve as the fiscal agent for the grant.
The proposed project will include training a team of community residents to
conduct neighborhood surveys and assessments in 200 homes in Census Tract
Five. Students from the environmental and nursing programs at LoraS and
Clarke Colleges will participate and train the neighborhood surveyors. Our
department's existing partnership with the Health Services Department will
continue as currently operating.
A synopsis of this application has been prepared by Kathy Lamb, Senior Housing
Inspector, and is attached for review. It is a one-year grant, requesting $100
000.
The application requires no Council resolution or signature by the chief executive
Action Step
The action requested of the City Council is to authorize submittal of this
application.
Community Environmental Health Resource Center
A Project of the Alliance to End Childhood Lead Poisoning
The application is for a one-year grant totaling $100,000 to be administered by
the Visiting Nurse Association. Proposed is a demonstration project directed at
improving environmental health in residential occupancies by 1) training a team
of ten (10) community residents to conduct neighborhood surveys and
assessments in 200 homes in census tract 5. This assessment will include
allergy and asthma prevention, mold control education, fire and burn safety
education, radon mitigation, carbon monoxide poisoning prevention, accidental
poisoning prevention, electrical safety, roach control and lead poisoning hazard
prevention.
This program will be a partnership with the Visiting Nurse Association, Loras
College environmental science students, Clarke College nursing students, the
North End Neighborhood Association and the Health and Housing Services
Departments. The Visiting Nurse Association will be the sponsoring agent and
will be the fiscal agent for the proposed grant program.
Proposed is the implementation of a team of trained environmental and health
assessment surveyors that will complete housing related health and
environmental assessments in 200 individual homes or apartments. Surveyors
will assess hazards, distribute educational materials geared towards reducing
these hazards and identify partner agencies that can provide financial resources
to improve the health and housing conditions of the residential unit.
Using expertise from trained and certified health and housing professionals,
surveyors will be trained in assessment skills. Surveyors will be given basic
education about various environmental and health hazards found in area
residential properties. Surveyors will be trained in assessment skills and
demonstrations will be provided on how to conduct residential inspections and
how to provide educational training to area occupants. Surveyors will be
informed about the various financial resources available to area residents. The
Health and Housing and Community Development Departments, as well as the
Loras and Clarke College environmental and nursing students will participate and
complete the training of surveyors.
Outcomes from this study will allow the community to categorize and identify the
health related housing deficiencies that exist in local housing. Once identified,
property owners can be directed to existing programs and community partners
that can address the problems and new programs can be implemented to
address widespread hazards that have been identified in the community.
Surveyors will also advance the community's educational objectives by
broadening the base of hazard prevention program educators. Citizen-surveyors
will conduct one on one hazard prevention education in individual apartments.
Hazard prevention education will not be just something that someone roads
about. It will be conducted in individual homes, looking at individual
circumstances. And local residents will teach it. This will give participants a high
degroe of crodibility and trust.
Staff will catalog the survey results and initiate the evaluation process through a
participatory process in which staff and community residents collaborate to
document project activities, analyze accomplishments and challenges and
assess the lessons learned from the experience.