Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) announced federal funding for lead abatement that will be available to families in Galesburg and across Illinois. The funding will come through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) – specifically, the Lead Hazard Reduction Program (LHRP) and HUD’s Healthy Homes funding.
“Today’s news is welcome and overdue for folks across Illinois who want nothing more than a safe and lead-free home to raise their family – and I’ve been hard at work with local communities, the state and federal agencies to deliver funding to get to the root of this problem,” Congresswoman Bustos said. “Whether it’s toxic lead-based paint or unsafe drinking water, we can and must work tirelessly to keep our families safe. I’ll continue to be a partner to anybody who’s working to keep children safe and to make our region a great place to live, work and raise a family.”
This grant announcement gives $3.6 million to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to help families afford lead abatement in their homes. In Galesburg, the City is encouraging families who are interested in applying for funding to contact City Housing Coordinator Judy Guenseth at (309) 345-3652 or jguenseth@ci.galesburg.il.us. The City of Moline also received $2.4 million in federal funding through LHRP – families can contact K.J. Whitley, Moline’s Community Development Manager, at (309) 524-2044 or kwhitley@moline.il.us.
Congresswoman Bustos has been a strong and consistent leader for healthy and lead-free homes – working with state and local officials to keep children and families safe. She tirelessly fought to deliver $4 million in federal funding to help the City of Galesburg replace lead service lines that threatened the safety of families’ drinking water.
Previously, Congresswoman Bustos introduced the Safe Drinking Water Act with Congressman Bobby Rush (IL-01). Their legislation would establish a $50 million grant program within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to allow local education agencies and school districts to replace lead service lines and lead solder used in school plumbing. Congresswoman Bustos also helped introduce the WATER Act, which would provide critical federal funding for State Revolving Funds – including the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund – which is the source of the $4 million forgivable loan the City of Galesburg received to replace lead service lines.
***Report Courtesy of the Office of Congresswoman Bustos***
