New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Housing Authority gets $3.9M to find, repair hazards
NEW HAVEN — The Elm City Communities/Housing Authority of New Haven has been awarded a $3.9 million grant to evaluate and reduce hazards.
The grant, administered by the U.S. Office of Housing and Urban Development’s Housing-Related Hazards Capital Fund Program and authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020, will enable Elm City Communities to conduct activities to identify and eliminate housing-related hazards within the public housing it administers, the authority said in a release.
“The health and wellbeing of our residents is always our top priority,” said Karen DuBois-Walton, president of Elm City Communities. “This award allows ECC/HANH to enact its vision where every resident has a safe, decent home and opportunities to fulfill their goals. We look forward to making intentional choices to invest in our community with equity and justice in mind.”
The 2020 Housing-related Hazard Capital Fund NOFO makes $20 million available in new competitive grants for public housing authorities to identify and eliminate housing-related hazards in public housing, including mold, carbon monoxide, pest infestation, radon, fire hazards and other housing hazards.
“With this grant, Elm City Communities will further ensure that all of our residents all have equal access to safe, decent, sanitary, housing,” said Latweeta Smyers, senior vice president of operations at Elm City Communities.
“Our housing needs to support
the wellness and safety of our residents, not cause illness or injury, Smyers said. “So much work has been put into our buildings over the past few years, but this investment will
allow ECC and our community to better evaluate, inspect, and resolve hazardous living conditions.”
Elm City Communities plans to begin remediation work in
2022. In the coming weeks, it will also issue requests for proposals to hire contractors that specialize in testing for, identifying and eliminating housingrelated hazards