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AMSTERDAM, NY—Congressman Paul D. Tonko announced a combined $6,906,500 for the City of Albany and City of Schenectady today to help eliminate lead and other housing-based health hazards from low-income families’ homes. These grants will be administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Specifically, each city will receive:

• $3,500,000 for Albany
• $3,406,500 for Schenectady

“Lead poses serious and long-term health dangers to Americans and children face the greatest risks of all, whether their exposure comes from lead paint in homes or contaminated drinking water,” Congressman Tonko said. “Despite this heavy toll, many families continue to be exposed to these threats simply because the cost to remove them is too great for them to pay on their own. With so many Americans facing severe financial hardships because of this COVID-19 crisis, this funding could not come at a better time. Congratulations to the cities of Albany and Schenectady for earning these well-deserved grants that will help keep our Capital Region communities safe.”

These HUD grants are administered through the agency’s Lead Based Paint Hazard Reduction (LBPHR) Grant Program to identify and clean up dangerous lead in low-income families’ homes and will protect families and children by targeting significant lead and health hazards in over 14,000 low-income homes for which other resources are not available.

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