PRESS RELEASE

Thursday, 22 August 2024

Sullivan County NH Lead Abatement & Healthy Homes Program Update

Sullivan County recently submitted a $4.0 million grant application for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Lead Abatement and Healthy Homes program to continue work that began in 2020 when the County was awarded $1.7 million.   

The target for this application is to make 100 housing units safe from hazards associated with lead paint.  By comparison, the previous grant’s goal was 60 housing units, and the team was able to surpass the target by clearing a total of 69 units.  The overall goals of this program are to protect vulnerable populations (mainly children under age 6) from these hazards; improve the County’s housing stock; raise public awareness about the dangers of lead poisoning; and support the regional economy by training local contractors and providing a steady stream of projects over the next 4 years. 

Another benefit of this program is that it increases the number of available rental housing units at a time when safe, affordable housing is in short supply.  This is because apartments that have been involved in a confirmed case of childhood lead poisoning cannot be rented to new tenants until the hazards have been abated.  The previous grant put 23 such housing units back into circulation.  

Sullivan County was the first county in New Hampshire to apply for and receive direct funding from HUD for this purpose.  The previous grant was a tremendous success in part because of excellent partners that provided additional funding for free certification training and gap funding on projects that had extra costs.  These partners included the Sullivan County Delegation and Board of Commissioners for allocating some of the County’s American Rescue Plan Act funds; New Hampshire Housing for providing 0% interest loans to homeowners; and several local banks that purchased tax credits though the NH Community Development Finance Authority.  Those banks included Claremont Savings Bank, Bank of New Hampshire, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, Mascoma Bank, and Sugar River Bank. 

Grant awards will be announced later this fall.  If successful, we expect to begin projects in early 2025.  There are 19 properties on a waiting list from the previous grant so we will hit the ground running as we continue this important work to make our communities safe while improving our housing stock. 

If you are a homeowner, landlord, or a tenant, or a contractor wanting to get qualified to work with the program, select the following link to learn more about the program or contact Sharon Callum in the Sullivan County Board of Commissioners’ Office at T. 603-863-2560. 

http://www.sullivancountynh.gov/1236/Lead-Paint-Abatement-Healthy-Homes-Progr

 Press Contact: Derek R. Ferland, County Manager

T. 603-863-2560 / E. manager@sullivancountynh.gov