City of St. Petersburg Launches Healthy Home Initiative to Raise Awareness For Household Lead Hazards

City of St. Petersburg Launches Healthy Home Initiative to Raise Awareness For Household Lead Hazards, Invites Community to Get Involved

Jan. 14, 2025 - The City of St. Petersburg is announcing the start of the new Healthy Homes Initiative, a program aimed at increasing public knowledge and addressing the risks of household lead exposure. The initiative will officially commence with the Healthy Homes Community Coalition Kickoff Meeting, scheduled for Thursday, January 23, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Pinellas Technical College, located at 901 34th St. S.

The Healthy Homes Community Coalition, in collaboration with the City of St. Petersburg and the Pinellas County Health Department will be a community-led effort to promote awareness and education about household lead hazards.

"Creating healthy homes is essential for the well-being of our city residents" said Dr. Avery Slyker, the Housing and Community Developemnt Director. "Addressing the hazards of lead paint is a critical step in protecting children from lifelong health issues, ensuring that every home is a safe, nurturing environment."

The Healthy Homes Initiative aims to eradicate lead hazards from local homes, specifically in the South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) which is impacted by household lead more than other communities. The initiative is a comprehensive approach to ensuring safer living environments for the community, with more opportunities coming soon:

• Lead Renovation, Repair, and Paint Certification: Contractors and tradespeople will be able to receive training and certification on how to work safely in housing with lead-based paint and comply with requirements from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

• Lead Reduction Grant Program: Eligible homeowners in the South St. Petersburg CRA will soon be able to apply for funding to remove lead-based paint hazards from their homes

More information about the Healthy Homes Initiative and the upcoming Healthy Homes Community Coalition Kickoff Meeting can be found at stpete.org/HealthyHomes.

The Healthy Homes Initiative supports the City of St. Petersburg's Housing Opportunities For All Plan and Mayor Welch's Housing Opportunities For All Pillar For Progress.

About the Housing Opportunities For All Plan

To address St. Pete's growth and rising housing costs, Mayor Welch launched the Housing Opportunities For All Plan in April 2023. The plan is an expansion to the City's existing 10-year Housing Opportunities for All Plan. Enhancements to the plan include support for renters, financial assistance for residents to preserve existing affordable housing and make properties livable for longer, and incentives and strategic funding to produce more affordable units in St. Pete. More about the plan can be found at stpete.org/AffordableHousing.

About the Housing Opportunities For All Pillar For Progress

Housing affordability is a linchpin in Mayor Welch's agenda. Better housing opportunities for all raise the level of daily living and pride among residents, create strong neighborhoods and intentional equity, and create a community - not just a place to eat and sleep. To purposefully impact the community, affordable housing programs provide greater incentives for qualified buyers to achieve first-time home ownership and encourage developers to construct more new housing for low- and moderate-income homeowners. More information can be found at stpete.org/pillars.