Rensselaer County has $4.4 million to get lead paint out of 115 older homes. Most houses around here qualify by age.

If your house was built before 1978, the odds are good it has lead paint somewhere under the newer coats, and the windows are where it does the damage: every time a painted sash slides, it grinds a little lead into dust. Rensselaer County now has money to fix that in 115 homes.

Senators Schumer and Gillibrand announced on September 30 that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the county $4,410,012 under its Lead Hazard Reduction program. It is the county’s third such grant. The last one remediated 66 homes; this one is budgeted for 115 over four years, with the work concentrated on window replacement and other friction surfaces, plus repainting and cleanup, done by certified contractors at no cost to the homeowner.

Richard Elder, the county’s environmental health director, and Leonard Claus, its public health director, made the announcement with the senators. Enrollment runs through the Health Department’s voluntary lead inspection program: the department inspects, finds the hazards, and schedules the work. Grants like this one are governed by federal rules that put households with children under six, pregnant residents, and lower incomes first, and both owner-occupied homes and rentals with qualifying tenants are typically eligible.

Why it matters here: the housing stock in Lansingburgh, the village of Schaghticoke, Valley Falls and the older streets of Speigletown and Melrose is overwhelmingly pre-1978. Lead exposure in young children causes permanent learning and behavior problems, and there is no safe level. If you have a child under six in an older house, or you rent one to a family that does, the county Health Department’s environmental health office is the place to start. Ask about the lead hazard program and a free inspection.

Sources: CBS6’s September 30 report and the joint release from Senators Schumer and Gillibrand on the HUD award. Eligibility rules described here are the general terms of HUD’s Lead Hazard Reduction grants; the county will set its own application details.