The Lead Abatement Program

The Lead Abatement Program was established in 2002 to assist families that were becoming homeless due to the lead that was present in their homes. Each year, 5-10% of school children test positive for high levels of lead in their blood, blood levels that compromise their neurological development. The Philadelphia Department of Health and Opportunities, under a grant from HUD, places families that live in rental units into temporary housing while their rental units are undergoing lead abatement. TAFSP identifies, leases, and provides overall management of furnished units geographically located in areas ranging from West to Northeast Philadelphia. An average of 60 families/year has received this service under the City’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program since 2002. While the Program was been scaled back from 17 to 5 housing units in 2009 because of city budget constraints, the Program remains vital to the long term goal of removing the danger of lead poisoning from the city and is expected to return to previous levels when the economy recovers.