9978-09 Appropriating $2,463,435 from Community Development (Fund 212), defraying expenses of CED

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St. Joseph County Housing Consortium suitable residences. In many cases homes that could be rehabilitated are abandoned due to the costs of eliminating lead based paint hazards. Communit~Efforts to Address the Problem There are many organizations within the St. Joseph County, including organizations within the cities of South Bend and Mishawaka that are working to reduce the threat of lead poisoning. The St. Joseph County Health Department has a large lead poisoning prevention program that includes a staff of four full time and one part-time environmental health specialist addressing lead poisoning including four licensed risk assessors. The Health Department; 1) performs environmental case management for lead poisoned children; 2) conducts an outreach program to educate the public and elected officials about the threat of lead poisoning; 3) consults with paint supply stores to ensure appropriate information is being given to suppliers; 4) conducts risk assessments and clearance exams for the community; 5) maintains the Systematic Tracking of Elevated Lead Levels and Remediation (STELLAR) database for St. Joseph County, which is used to keep track of children's blood- lead levels. In addition, the Health Department has four nurses that perform medical case management for every lead poisoned child and provide free lead testing of children. Memorial Hospital Systems and the South Bend Medical Foundation provide free lead testing of children. Memorial Hospital and Health System operates the St. Joseph County Women, Infants and Children Program, which provides lead tests for 2-year-old enrollees. The St. Joseph County Lead Task Force consists of organizations that are working to eliminate lead poisoning of children. The Lead Task Force consists of more than 16 organizations and has been in existence for 13 years. It works to integrate lead poisoning prevention efforts and to overcome obstacles and barriers encountered and to energize the community to perform grant activities. In 2006 the Housing Authority of South Bend teamed with the Health Department and were awarded a $3 million Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to eliminate lead hazards in homes, train contractors in safe work practices and training for their lead supervisor and abatement worker licenses, and to strengthen the outreach program to inform the public about lead based paint hazards. Other partners included the South Bend Medical Foundation, Near Northwest Neighborhood, Memorial Hospital Systems and others. The grant was very successful and exceeded every grant deliverable. These organizations and others are applying for the rebid of this grant in 2009. Showing the community support for lead poisoning prevention, the Board of Health, County Commissioners and Council, Mayor of South Bend, Community Foundation of St. Joseph County, 1st Source Band, and Teachers Credit Union have donated over $250,000 to support the local lead poisoning prevention efforts. Many local supplies have also generously been contributed. The South Bend Medical Foundation provides free blood-lead testing to children under age 7 in St. Joseph County, using certificates that families can bring in to any of five lab locations. The South Bend Medical Foundation provides about $20,000 of free testing yearly to children. The St. Joseph County Commissioners and County Council are concerned about lead hazards in St. Joseph County, and have funded a lead abatement and educational program for nine years. 2010-2014 Housing and Community Development Plan 26