City of Cleveland Releases 30-Day Lead Accountability Report, Outlines Urgent Reforms to Protect Children and Improve Results

May 7, 2026 - CLEVELAND, OH - The City of Cleveland today released a 30-day report from Senior Advisor for Lead Accountability Rebecca Maurer detailing early findings on the City's lead-safe home repair programs, alongside immediate steps to improve performance, rebuild public trust, and accelerate progress.

Lead exposure remains one of the most serious public health challenges facing Cleveland, with tens of thousands of older homes still at risk. The report makes clear that while City staff are deeply committed to the work, systemic barriers have slowed progress and limited the City's ability to fully deploy available resources.

"This report is about accountability and action," said Mayor Justin M. Bibb. "We owe it to Cleveland families to be honest about where we've fallen short, and even more importantly, what we're doing to fix it. Every dollar we fail to deploy is a missed opportunity to protect a child."

The report highlights several key findings:

• The City is working to fully deploy an $11.1 million federal grant, which must be under contract by May 29, 2026, after years of slower-than-expected progress.
• After more than six years, only 40 homes had been completed under the program prior to recent acceleration efforts; that number has now increased to 59 homes.
• The City previously lost $3.3 million in state funding due to slow spending, underscoring the urgency of improving execution.
• A breakdown in communications left 787 resident voicemails unanswered, revealing a critical gap in responsiveness and accountability.

Since the start of this review, the City has already taken steps to address these challenges and improve outcomes:

• Processing 19 homes in a single recent month, more than in the prior two years combined.
  Identifying over 100 additional households and working to move them into active projects, 72 of which have been accepted into the program
• Re-engaging residents impacted by communication failures and implementing new processes to ensure timely response.
• Aligning program requirements with federal guidelines to expand eligibility and reduce unnecessary barriers.

The report also outlines a strategy focused on three priorities: fix operations, rebuild trust, and get every available dollar into homes.

As part of that effort, the City is advancing the creation of a Lead Safe Ombudsperson to provide a single, accountable point of contact for residents, landlords, and contractors navigating the program. The job posting is currently live.

"What I found was not a story of bad actors. It is a story of bureaucracy, technology failures, and systems that got in the way of good people trying to do the right thing," Maurer said, "I am ready to work alongside our partners and city departments to build systems that match our commitment." City leaders emphasized that addressing this gap will require both immediate operational improvements and a long-term strategy to sustain and expand funding for lead-safe housing.

"We are not satisfied with the status quo," Bibb added. "We are fixing what hasn't worked, accelerating what has, and staying focused on the only metric that matters: protecting Cleveland's kids."
The City will continue to provide updates as progress continues and additional reforms are implemented.