Covered by Documenters Sarah Tan and Marvetta Rutherford
Lead safe: Cleveland is not on track to hit the goal of having lead safe housing by 2028. Only 9% of rental homes now meet standards set under a 2019 law. Lead Safe Auditor Robert Fischer told Cleveland City Council members that the city should be getting at least 2,500 applications for lead safe certificates each quarter. It’s only getting about 1,000, most of which are approved. Cleveland’s progress, however, is in line with cities such as Rochester, NY, that have used testing homes to help prevent lead poisoning.
Registered rentals: Many rental properties are still not on the city’s rental registry. “Fugitive” rentals that are not registered with the city, as required by law, are far less likely to comply with the lead safe law, Fischer said.
Missing piece: Compliance is highest among multi-unit properties. Lead poisoning is more prevalent in single and double properties, according to local researchers.
Read the live-tweet thread from Documenter Marvetta Rutherford:
Tune in when Cleveland’s Lead Safe Advisory Board meets on Feb. 9.