WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressman David Trone (all D-Md.) have announced $166,976 in federal funding to address lead-based paint in Cumberland, Maryland. The funding, awarded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), will go to the Housing Authority of the City of Cumberland for projects at Jane Frazier Village, Queen City Tower, and Fort Cumberland Homes, including:
- Routine lead-based paint testing at Jane Frazier Village (125 units) and Queen City Tower (95 units).
- Removing and repainting almost 200 different problem areas in Fort Cumberland Homes. Completion of this work will garner a “Lead Free” certification from the Maryland Department of the Environment for the housing complex.
“All children deserve to grow up in environments free from the hazard of lead, which we know can have lifelong negative impacts on the development of the brain and nervous system,” said Senator Cardin, a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and Finance Health Subcommittee. “This important federal commitment will help Cumberland housing units to eliminate this public health threat.”
“No parent should have to worry that their children will be poisoned by the paint in their home. But for some families in Cumberland, this is a real concern,” said Senator Van Hollen, a member of the Budget and Appropriations Committees. “This funding will help address this issue, and I will keep fighting to ensure that kids are safe from the risks of lead-based paint.”
“Ensuring our children are safe and healthy should be a top priority. This important funding will keep children in Cumberland safe from lead-based paint in their very own homes,” said Congressman David Trone. “I will continue to fight for every child to live in a safe and healthy environment in Cumberland and across the state of Maryland.”
HUD is awarding this funding to identify and reduce lead-based paint hazards in public housing units constructed prior to 1978 with at least one family with a child under age six, and at playgrounds or child-care centers that are part of the public housing project.
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