Left to right: Director of Development Crystal Surdyk, Jamestown resident Jade Shirey, Healthy Communities Consultant Lisa Schmidtfrerick-Miller, Council member Brent Sheldon, Council Member Regina Brackman, and Council Member Marie Carrubba at City Council Housing Committee meeting (March 20, 2023)

A Jamestown mother is urging the City to take on lead hazards in housing that’s resulted in hundreds of children being affected by lead poisoning.

Hazzard Street resident Jade Shirey spoke before the City Council Housing Committee, saying health issues caused by lead paint exposure is 100% preventable and that no homes should be allowed to have lead paint, “It is, I get, an expensive fix, but we are spending money either way. We are either going to spend it in being proactive and getting lead out of homes, or we are going to spend it reactive in giving services, inundating our school system, our fire people with the condemned houses or the fire calls from the properties not being where they should be, police activity later on in their years when these (lead-poisoned) kids are facing impulsivity.”

Shirey shared that her son was diagnosed with lead poisoning two years ago, “So, in part of that, I brought my child who suffers from verbal delays, speech-cognitive delays, is going to be put in a (inaudible) classroom, who I’ve had so much trouble securing services for. I’m not sure how families have been doing this for 45 years.”

Shirey said Jamestown is seventh in the state for lead poisoning, with 60 kids in the 14701 zip code being affected by lead poisoning a year. She said that equates to about 900 students in the Jamestown Public Schools system who have suffered from lead poisoning.

Shirey said her goal is to make sure no other families go through what she has.

Director of Development Crystal Surdyk said while she doesn’t have a fix that can have an immediate impact, the city is working on dealing with lead in housing from a policy standpoint, “So, we have rental inspection ordinance that we are working on. We have a vacant property ordinance that we’re working on. And then we have a third, a nuisance property ordinance that we’re working on which won’t directly impact lead inspections, but through those two other ordinances, lead inspection, mandatory lead inspections will be rolled into those.”

Surdyk said the city has been working with the Healthy Housing Coalition, which includes county government and other housing agencies, on how to give landlords incentives to take care of lead paint in their properties, “We want to offer a carrot, right? We’re going to give you this big stick. We’re going to say, ‘This has to be done,’ and we’re going to have ‘x’ amount of time to do all of these inspections. And if there is lead found, you’re going to have another ‘x’ amount of time to remediate it. And then the intention is, if we’ve identified it, looking at ways to subsidize the cost of the inspection for the lead.”

Council member Brent Sheldon, who previously worked for the Chautauqua County Health Department in lead hazard reduction, said while the county has received funds to do lead abatements, it’s a struggle to get people to participate.

For additional information on lead poisoning prevention, visit the County’s Environmental Health Department’s website at: https://chqgov.com/environmental-health/lead-poisoning-prevention

• MOBILE APP USERS: LISTEN VIA SOUNDCLOUD

Originally airing Thursday, July 18, 2019

Local health officials discuss Lead Poisoning and the effort to remove lead from homes within the community. Guests include Dr. Lillian Ney with the city’s Health Care Action Team, Natalie Whiteman – the county’s Lead Program Coordinator, and Lisa Schmidtfrerick-Miller – Chautauqua County Health Department Healthy Communities Consultant.

On Monday night the council’s Housing Committee had a member of the Chautauqua County Department of Health on hand to present and discuss the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program.

According to information provided on Monday night, Jamestown ranks eighth in the state for childhood lead poisoning, with 40 percent of children in Jamestown having an elevated lead level.

The council learned that the county does have lead abatement funding available via a federal HUD lead hazard control grant.

The program provides assistance to repair lead-based paint hazards in rental properties. It is a county-wide program for properties occupied by income-eligible tenants who have children under the age of 6. Landlords are also only responsible for 20 percent of abatement costs.

“Their program inspects any apartment or privately owned homes built before 1978. If residents have children 6 years of age or under, the county will give the occupants free cleaning supplies, smoke detectors, and carbon monoxide detectors just for letting them in to do testing,” Housing Committee Chairwoman Vicki James explained.  “If they find lead, they teach the homeowners how to address it properly and give them $300 in supplies to address the problem.”

James said for rental properties, things are more complicated, although much of the abatement costs is still covered by federal grant funding.

“The federal government requires landlords to attend an EPA renovation, repair, and paint class, which the county will pay for at a cost of (at $160) and anyone who works on a building that has lead paint, inside or out, is required to have certification under federal law,” James said. “It’s also required that if they disturb a wall with lead paint, they are required to do plumbing, electrical, and any other repairs or modifications, although the landlord will only have to cover 20 percent of the total cost.”

James also said that according to a county health department spokesperson, some landlords are warning their tenants not to allow health officials in to test for lead.

“She said the landlords are warning tenants not to let them in and if there is anything we can suggest to help them get into the apartments it would be greatly appreciated,” said James.

“We can’t have 40 percent of our youth with elevated and sustained lead levels,” added councilwoman and housing committee member Vanessa Weinert. “If they are exposed and we’re able to abate and do whatever it is we need to do, then we won’t see these long lasting effects. There are studies out there that show kids who have sustained lead levels and the results are devastating.”

According to the  CDC, Lead exposure can affect nearly every system in the body, produces no obvious symptoms, and frequently goes unrecognized, potentially leading to serious health issues. Lead poisoning is particularly dangerous to infants and young children. Some adults are also at risk for lead exposure, including those who work around products or materials that contain lead.

The grant at the County Health Department is still active through the end of the year and city council members said it may be worth reaching out to landlords and tenants alike to make sure they are aware the program exists and see if they qualify.

To learn more, contact the county department of health or visit the Lead Poisoning & Prevention page on the county website.

According to the senators, the funding will provide resources to spur collaboration between Chautauqua County and local organizations, including the Jamestown and Dunkirk Housing Authorities, in order to reduce the number of lead-poisoned children and protect families by targeting health hazards in homes with significant lead and other home health and safety hazards.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), lead is much more harmful to children than adults because it can affect children’s developing nerves and brains. Lead-based paint, still encasing homes’ walls, often erodes and settles on children’s toys on the floor, falling into the hands and mouths of children.

The purpose of the Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control (LHC) and the Lead Hazard Reduction (LHRD) grant programs are to identify and control lead-based paint hazards in eligible privately owned housing for rental or owner-occupants. The Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control Grant program is the largest program in terms of dollar amount and number of grants.