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U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine
September 27, 2022
Biddeford receives funding to help address lead hazards in nearly 100 homes
The city of Biddeford has received $3.55 million to help address lead hazards in nearly 100 homes, helping to make them safer for low-income families with children.
The funding for this grant to Biddeford was awarded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.
“More than half of Maine’s housing stock was built prior to 1978, the year that lead-based paint was banned, which has resulted in our state having one of the highest levels of lead paint contamination in the country,” said Collins. “For decades, childhood lead poisoning has negatively affected the lives of many in the Biddeford community. This funding will be transformational for Biddeford families and improve developmental outcomes for children by limiting exposure to lead.
Collins championed this funding as a member of the Housing Appropriations Subcommittee.
“Biddeford has many older buildings, and there has always been a challenge, for many, in affording to remove lead paint from their apartments and homes,” said Biddeford Mayor Alan Casavant. "This grant allows the city to continue its progress in assisting families in the removal of such a dangerous substance.”
Biddeford will address lead hazards in 95 privately-owned housing units, providing safer homes for low and very low-income families with children. It will be addressing additional housing-related health and safety hazards using its Healthy Homes Supplement funding. The city will implement its grant in partnership with several local medical and social service providers.
Last year, Collins announced a $3.4 million grant to address lead hazards in 110 housing units in Lewiston.
In 1999, during her first term in office, Collins held a field hearing on lead poisoning in Lewiston. Collins has strongly advocated for increased funding for programs to address lead abatement and has successfully secured robust investments through her role on the Housing Appropriations Subcommittee.
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