After a six-month delay, the Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition (LSCC) has issued a new request to find a group or agency to help families displaced by lead poisoning.
The administrator would be responsible for tracking and monitoring families who have been forced to move due to lead hazards and would pilot the creation of a safety net of temporary and permanent affordable housing options for families that need to relocate from a hazardous home.
The coalition, a partnership of nonprofits and local government officials working to reduce the number of children exposed to lead in their homes, tried in 2022 to find an administrator to focus on displacement but only had a single applicant to lead the effort, and that person was not qualified to run the pilot program, according to a coalition spokesperson.
The city and coalition have set aside about $2 million in federal stimulus money for the effort.
The coalition said it would try again to find an administrator in September of 2023 but that work was delayed in order to get feedback from partners and to launch other programs to administer grants, train a lead safe workforce and focus on lead safe childcare centers.
“We wanted to be thoughtful and took some time to re-release [the request] to make sure we get successful candidates and partners to lead this work,” said Wyonette Cheairs, program director of Enterprise Community Partners, a national affordable housing nonprofit that helps lead the coalition.
Displacement due to lead hazards has long been an issue
In 2019, Cleveland passed a series of laws that required landlords to certify their properties as lead safe. The goal was to combat high rates of lead poisoning among children.
The problem of families displaced by lead exposure dates back to before the new laws were passed and the coalition formed. Local groups such as Cleveland Lead Safe Network, now known as Cleveland Lead Advocates for Safe Housing (CLASH), have raised the issue of families who were forced out of their rental homes due to lead hazards.
More than 300 cases of children with elevated lead levels that require medical treatment were reported to the Cleveland Department of Public Health in 2023, Dr. Dave Margolius, Cleveland Public Health Director, said during last month’s Lead Safe Advisory Board meeting. In the past, the city failed to follow up on lead poisoning reports, inspect homes and place warning signs.
Cleveland has improved lead poisoning response, displacement still not tracked
Cleveland’s health department said it has improved its response to lead poisoning cases and routinely posts public notices on homes where hazards have not been fixed. Officials say the city posted at least 500 placards on homes in recent years. As of 2023, orders to clean up lead are active on at least 150 homes.
Currently, there is no one responsible for tracking families displaced by lead hazards in Cleveland. In the past, the coalition estimated up to a thousand families could have to leave their homes temporarily or permanently.
Cheairs said the coalition doesn’t believe the lead safe certificate program is displacing families – she said incentives, grants and loans are available to help landlords remediate their homes. However, she acknowledged that resources are limited after a child is poisoned and a landlord doesn’t follow the city’s orders to clean up the hazards.
“Our community has no system in place to help families facing displacement for any reason, let alone due to lead, outside of the homeless continuum of care,” the new proposal states.
Program would distribute money, provide housing for families dealing with lead hazards
The administrator selected would be expected to launch and support two pilot programs:
- Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition Stipend: A one-time stipend or pay for temporary relocation for families who are seeking shelter. The stipend would be for individuals and families who are part of the Lead Safe Home Loans and Grants program or living in a home with lead hazards.
- Master Lease with Housing Provider: Paying a housing provider to create a “master lease” that would make two lead safe units available for families to live in up to six months until repairs are made and their home is certified as lead safe.
The administrator would run the pilot programs over two years starting in July. The deadline to apply for the administrator position is April 15.
“We hope that the pilot programs will provide a proof of concept and can be used in other areas to address issues of displacement in the city, not just displacement regarding lead poisoning and hazards.” Cheairs said.
The new administrator will join the coalition’s six other partners, CHN Housing Partners, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, Environmental Health Watch, Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation, Famicos Foundation, and Starting Point. The groups help deliver programs that aim to make homes and childcare spaces in Cleveland lead safe.
