April 4, 2025

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Salt Lake City is strengthening its efforts to tackle a serious health hazard—lead-based paint in homes—with a nearly $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

HUD’s Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction program focuses on preserving and improving affordable housing and protecting the health and safety of children and families.

“Every child deserves a safe and healthy home, and every parent deserves peace of mind knowing their home won’t put their kids at risk,” said Mayor Erin Mendenhall. “Removing harmful lead paint from homes is a crucial part of making our city safe for everyone.”

The grant will specifically target low-income households with children under the age of six. Young kids have the greatest risk of developing health problems due to lead exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Salt Lake City residents making below 80% of the area median income living with children under the age of six can apply for assistance today.

Over the next four years, this funding will help test and remediate lead-based paint in up to 300 units. The grant will be available through Housing Stability’s Home Repair Program, which also offers no and low-interest loans to address health, safety, and structural issues to qualifying low-income households.

“We’ve already helped hundreds of residents remove lead-based paint from their homes through our Home Repair program,” said Salt Lake City Housing Stability Director Tony Milner. “These federal funds will help us continue our critical work stabilizing Salt Lake City’s low-income homeowners.”

Over the past decade, the City has rehabilitated more than 1,300 homes. With roughly 20,000 homes built before 1940 in Salt Lake City—when nearly 90% of homes contained lead-based paint, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency—this initiative marks a significant step toward safer housing for families.