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Environment

New Effort to Protect Children & Families

US Dept of Housing & Urban Development

A federal grant is helping to protect children and families from lead and other home health hazards. Tuesday members of the Illinois Quad Cities Healthy Homes Coalition celebrated the remediation of the first of 150 homes, in Rock Island, Moline, East Moline, and Silvis.

The 2.4 million dollar grant comes from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Midwest Regional Administrator Joseph Galvan says the work of the four cities, along with the county health department and Project Now, show what can be done when communities work together.

"To make sure that children and families that are most at risk in terms of lead poinsoning and other health hazards in the home, can have their homes rehabilitated."

The Healthy Homes Coalition won the grant last December, and work at the first home was completed only last Friday, at 1040 33rd Street Court in Moline. 

In addition to the 150 homes, the grant will pay for assessments at 32 more.

This is National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, and this year's observance comes soon after HUD awarded more 314 million dollars to state and local governments across the country. 
 

A native of Detroit, Herb Trix began his radio career as a country-western disc jockey in Roswell, New Mexico (“KRSY, your superkicker in the Pecos Valley”), in 1978. After a stint at an oldies station in Topeka, Kansas (imagine getting paid to play “Louie Louie” and “Great Balls of Fire”), he wormed his way into news, first in Topeka, and then in Freeport Illinois.