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CLASH is the Cleveland Lead Advocates for safe housing. Founded in 2016 as the Cleveland Lead Safe Network. Created a draft ordinance on lead safety that was ignored by City Council for 18 months without a hearing. Was reorganized in 2019 as a political action committee that conducted two petition drives that resulted in passage of the Cleveland Lead Safe Ordinance. Reorganized as a tax exempt non-profit to promote lead safety and ensure the implementation of the Cleveland lead safe certificate law.
What is HUD's Lead Safe Housing Rule? HUD's Lead Safe Housing Rule covers all federally funded programs.
What were the findings in the HUD IG Study of CMHA compliance? Here's the IG study summary. "The issues related to reporting and notifying HUD of children with EBLLs and the associated environmental investigations occurred because the Authority (1) disregarded HUD’s requirement for reporting EBLL cases to HUD and (2) stated that it was not aware of certain HUD’s requirements for managing cases of children with EBLLs, even though HUD had published the LSHR and issued Office of Public and Indian Housing notices regarding PHAs’ requirements for managing children with EBLLs. Therefore, the Authority should have been aware of and implemented those requirements. The Authority also (1) painted over deteriorated paint in the units that contained children with EBLLs before the environmental investigations were performed; thereby compromising the results and (2) believed that an environmental investigation was not needed if the household with a child with an EBLL no longer resided in an Authority unit. Further, the Authority lacked adequate policies, procedures, and controls to ensure that it complied with the LSHR requirements for managing housing units that contain lead-based paint. Additionally, the Authority lacked oversight of (1) the lead-based paint inspection and risk assessment reports to ensure that they contained required elements; (2) the timeliness of its visual assessments, which it combined with the performance of annual physical inspections; and (3) its property managers to ensure that accurate lead-based paint disclosures were provided to prospective tenants."
What is CLASH's role? Following the release of the HUD IG report, CLASH was invited to testify at City Council's Health, Human Services and the Arts committee on July 31, 2024.
What are CLASH's recommendations to the City of Cleveland? Test the children. Train the staff. Empower the tenants. Bring CMHA under City Code.
Questions and discussion.
Is money the barrier to expanded child lead testing?
Think of Child Lead Testing as an infrastructure investment
Aug. 13, 2024. cleveland.com: Other Voices. Link a deal on Browns stadium with commitment to children’s well being.
Cost Benefit of child lead testing
City-CMHA concerns raised by CLASH members
Conduct thorough inspections of all properties to identify lead hazards, particularly in paint, dust, soil, and water.
Implement a schedule for regular lead testing, especially in older buildings, to monitor any changes in lead levels.
Immediate Remediation
Train and Hire more certified professionals (6 certified professionals is not enough)
Cover or remove contaminated soil in play areas and around the building foundation.
Water Safety: Install and maintain certified water filters to remove lead from drinking water. (Something tells me it's not just in the homes but also in the water and soil)
Resident Education and Support
Provide residents with information on the dangers of lead exposure and tips for reducing risks in their homes.
Provide residents with information on healthy foods to reduce lead poisoning
Offer lead testing for children and pregnant women
Conduct workshops to educate residents about lead safety and preventive measures.
Partnerships and Collaboration
Work closely with local health departments to provide mobile testing vans
Provide mobile testing vans at workshop events
Long-term Planning
Develop a long-term plan for lead hazard control, incorporating feedback from residents and stakeholders.