Data from the University at Buffalo reports around 93% of homes in Buffalo likely contain lead hazards from deteriorating paint. The common council in 2020 adopted a local law to create proactive inspections of rental properties for lead and other hazards, but the program has historically struggled. BTPM NPR’s Ryan Zunner reports that now, the City of Buffalo has had to give back more than $1 million in unspent lead-related funding.
From lawsuits to inter-government squabbles, Buffalo’s Proactive Rental Inspection Program has hit road blocks before. But this year it’s on pace to inspect 6,000 housing units, by far its highest to date.
But recent news that the city’s Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency had to return $1.5 million in lead hazard reduction money is being seen by some as a major failure in the local fight against childhood lead poisoning.
“One thing we hear is the resources aren't there, our landlords are low-income, people don't have the money to make the repairs, and with this grant, the city had the money to help those landlords make the repairs. But those resources have now been wasted," said Andrea Ó Súilleabháin of the Partnership for Public Good.
Andrea Ó Súilleabháin leads the PPG, a research and advocacy group that has done work on the region’s lead problem. While this grant wasn’t directly to the Proactive Rental Inspection Program, Súilleabháin said the work could have been complimentary.
“The idea was that as inspectors visited the inside of people's homes and found chipping and peeling paint and lead hazards, they would refer those landlords who needed funds to this program to help them make repairs," she said. "So this is kind of two failures coming together."
State Senator April Baskin, who has two bills related to assistance for families dealing with lead-caused health problems, said the inaction on funding is beyond disappointing. Her own child once dealt with lead exposure.
“I remember taking my baby to the pediatrician a couple years ago. I remember them saying, 'Miss Baskin, your son's blood lead levels are elevated.' This was at a time where I was working very hard to save money to be able to buy a home, because the home that we were living in was old, and I knew the paint was chipping," said Baskin. "I know I'm not the only mother that has gone to the pediatrician and the doctor has said this to you.”
In March, Buffalo’s Commissioner of Permits and Inspections Cathy Amdur chalked up issues in their lead prevention programs to a smaller amount of resources compared to the Erie County Department of Health. Assemblyman Jon Rivera argues the city does have the ability to increase resources.
“If the city wanted to tackle this problem, it could tackle this problem. If the city wanted to have more staff," said Rivera. "This bizarre excuse, 'there's not enough people,' when they have the power to hire people, this excuse of 'we don't have enough money,' when they don't fill out the paperwork necessary to get the money that they've already been awarded is ridiculous.”
In a statement to BTPM NPR from BURA’s Executive Director Hope Young-Watkins said the agency was under the impression the grant from HUD could have been extended, which turned out not to materialize. Young-Watkins said the city is not negligent in lead efforts, saying they streamlined and expanded outreach. The city will now partner with Erie County’s Lead Safe Program.
