County eyes state funds to help in detecting lead-based paint
CHIP program helps residents on fixed incomes stay in their homes longer.
The Greene County Department of Development is seeking $23,150 in state funds for technology that can help home inspectors and rehabilitation specialists detect lead-based paint in older homes.
Called an X-Ray Fluorescience (XRF) Analyzer, the devices are used to identify lead-based paint hazards in CHIP repair and rehabilitation projects, and are eligible to Ohio counties with a Community Housing Impact & Preservation, or CHIP. The county currently contracts out its lead testing to the tune of $1,200 per test. Doing about ten per year, the analyzer pays for itself in about two years.
Ohio has made money available for the devices that state officials have hinted they will require the equipment for all property rehab assessors in the future, Department of Development Manager Kristie Tidd said Thursday.
Greene County CHIP provides forgivable loans to income-eligible homeowners whose properties are in need of repairs or rehabilitation. Scopes of work can range from hot water tank replacement and HVAC work to full lead-based paint abatement and other work to make homes safe for older residents.
The program is open to any Greene County homeowner, except those in the city of Fairborn, which has its own funding stream.
Greene County CHIP does an average of seven home repairs and four rehabilitations per year, which can range from $250 to $2,200 for repairs and up to $75,000 for rehabilitation, though more than that amount can be forgiven with permission from the State, Tidd said. Currently the DoD is doing $12,000 worth of lead abatement at a property in Spring Valley.
The program is designed to help individuals on lower or fixed incomes, particularly the elderly, but with the current squeeze in the housing market, the program has an added benefit of keeping residents in their homes longer.
“We would like to see our housing stock improve,” Tidd said. “So by addressing these issues with these homes where these individuals might not be able to afford (repairs), we’re improving the housing stock in the community.”