The Alameda County Board of Supervisors final month accepted $4 million from the Division of Housing and City Improvement in an ongoing effort to repair lead air pollution from Oakland’s industrial period and put together for a rising senior inhabitants.
The twin grants, awarded in the course of the Biden administration, give attention to susceptible populations of youngsters and low-income seniors in high-risk communities.
“These investments are about more than bricks and mortar — they’re about dignity, health, and equity,” Mariana Actual, head of Program Improvement and Neighborhood Engagement of the Alameda County Wholesome Houses Division, mentioned. “Whether it’s preventing a fall for an aging resident or reducing a child’s exposure to lead, we’re proud to deliver solutions that make homes safer and communities stronger.”
U.S. Census knowledge factors to a rising want for secure and wholesome housing in Alameda County, as the common age of residents has steadily gotten older, rising from 36.8 years previous in 2013 to 38.7 years previous in 2023, leading to one-fifth of residents being older than 60.
Lead air pollution has remained a top-of-mind well being concern in Oakland, based on the county’s Well being Houses Division. A survey of 292 soil samples taken between 2009 and 2011 collected from yards with naked soil in Alameda County revealed that 97% of samples contained over 80 elements per million, the extent which the California Environmental Safety Company decided may influence youngsters.
In line with the Wholesome Houses Division, “over 60% of the bare soil samples contained more than 400 (parts per million) of lead, which Federal agencies consider a lead hazard in play areas.”
The necessity for lead air pollution assessments and security enhancements for low-income seniors has constructed up ready lists in Alameda County, the place funding is “insufficient to meet the full scale of need,” based on Actual.
“We are doing our part to make a difference, but the reality is that far too many families and seniors are still waiting for help,” Actual mentioned. “This is a call to action for our community and stakeholders to join us in closing the gap.”
The funding, handed beneath then-President Joe Biden, features a $2 million Wholesome Houses Manufacturing Grant that can increase environmental danger assessments to forestall lead poisoning for households with younger youngsters with a “focus on racial equity” in areas similar to East and West Oakland. The county’s Well being Houses Division will conduct 270 “comprehensive” assessments and provide case administration providers for youngsters and youths as much as 21 years previous.
A second $2 million Older Grownup House Modification Program Grant supplies funding for dwelling security enhancements for low-income seniors that embrace additions of seize bars, ramps, and non-slip flooring, based on the Alameda County Well being Houses Division. These dwelling modifications will goal 120 seniors aged 62 and as much as assist residents keep of their properties and keep away from pricey emergency room visits.
Because the county accepts beforehand promised funds, the way forward for related packages stays in flux. The present HUD net pages for each grants lead to an error message.
The county is within the ultimate phases of contract negotiation with HUD, the usual for federal grants of this scope. Although federal funding for quite a few businesses is in flux, a county spokesperson mentioned there isn’t a indication that the funding is in danger or may very well be paused.
Environmental lawyer Pete Nyquist, chair of Greenberg Glusker’s Environmental Follow Group, mentioned President Donald Trump’s return to the White Home had raised questions on whether or not lead abatement funding can be preserved after he had rolled again different environmental requirements throughout his first time period.
Nyquist mentioned there was a “duality” within the president’s second time period, contemplating he made “Make America Healthy Again” a key tenet of his marketing campaign and has since minimize funding for public well being initiatives just like the Nationwide Institutes of Well being.
“Pursuant to legislation passed under the Biden administration for infrastructure projects, those funding commitments cannot easily be undone,” Nyquist mentioned. “I think the ultimate question is: Where will the money come from for future projects?”
For not less than the subsequent three years, Biden-era funding will help the county’s decades-long effort to rectify previous lead air pollution and shield its elders, mentioned Alameda County Supervisor Lena Tam, whose district encompasses Chinatown, Fruitvale and unincorporated communities within the county. These funds will probably be essential for her traditionally lead-polluted district.
“We have been working to secure funding to create safer and healthier homes, particularly children,” Tam mentioned, “by addressing lead hazards in the entire county — primarily in the areas where there are older homes with lead pipes and paint in District 3.”
