Rep. Courtney Celebrates $3.1 Million Federal Grant to Protect Children from Lead Paint

NORWICH, CT -- Today, Rep. Joe Courtney celebrated a $3.1 million federal grant he helped secure for the City of Norwich to remove lead paint from low-income homes with children. The announcement comes after Rep. Courtney led the effortwith Sens. Blumenthal and Murphy in August 2024 urging the agency to deliver these critical funds to the City.

The funding was awarded through the U.S. Housing and Urban Development's Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Grant Program. The City will utilize funding to remove lead paint hazards from at least 85 properties with a specific focus on homes with children in the Norwich area. Many of the residents of these homes will be low-to-moderate income families with at-risk children under the age of six.

"My office and I were pleased to lead the federal effort to advocate on their behalf and bring the federal funding home to ensure less children are exposed to the serious dangers of lead paint," Courtney said. "The federal funding award is a clear testament to the outstanding work executed by the City of Norwich, Wayne Sharkey, and his team, and the hours and hours they spent on this application to continue their live-saving work."

"The Office of Community Development's staff is excited to be able to continue our ongoing work in preventing Lead Poisoning in Children here in Norwich. We want to thank Joe Courtney and his entire team for assisting us in securing these much needed funds for our Community," Wayne Sharkey, the City of Norwich's Lead Program Manager, said.

Courtney has been a leading advocate for increased federal funding for the HUD lead hazard control and healthy homes program. In March 2023, Courtney led his colleagues in requesting$460 million for lead hazard control and HUD's Healthy Home program in the 2024 fiscal year budget so grants like this could come to fruition. Courtney also requested $500 million for the program in the 2025 fiscal year budget.