Lead Safe Homes

San Diego Housing Commission Construction Specialist Louis Solomon (right) with Raul Raiz and his tenants, who are part of a lead abatement pilot project

October 2002
by Richard Bermack

The San Diego Housing Commission has teamed up with the Environmental Health Coalition and the Metropolitan Area Advisory Committee to remove the risk of lead poisoning in San Diego homes. The Lead-Safe Homes Project uses block grants to fund MAAC to remove or abate the hazards of lead paint in older homes. EHC estimates that 25% of pre-1950 housing has lead paint hazards.

Lead paint poses a particular problem for children. Paint chips from deteriorating walls and ceilings have a sweet taste, so children put them in their mouths and eat them. There is also the danger of children inhaling paint dust. Lead paint has been shown to increase the level of lead in a child’s blood stream to the point that it can impair the child’s mental functions.

Lead paint removal is not easy. “We have to remove the old paint and repair the wood. In this house it will cost about $25,000, and that is just for abatement, repairing peeling and deteriorating paint that is a hazard. That doesn’t include removing all the paint,” Louis Solomon explains. Workers need to be specially trained in lead paint removal and precautions have to be taken so that they don’t inhale or ingest the paint dust. The city estimates that there are 7,310 units in need of lead hazard control, mainly in high-risk communities, and has applied for a $3 million federal Housing and Urban Development grant to expand the program.

Raiz is the owner of a three-plex; his relatives live below. There are four children living in the building who are in danger from the lead paint. “I’m very grateful for the city’s help,” Raiz states. “I want the building to be safe for the children, but I could never afford to do this on my own.”