GAO REPORT FINDS MANY FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN IN HUD VOUCHER PROGRAM LIVING IN UNITS WITH LEAD DANGERS
A new GAO report, Lead Paint in Housing: Key Considerations for Adopting Stricter Lead Evaluation Methods in HUD’s Voucher Program (GAO-21-325), points out that HUD’s voucher program has 1.1 million families living in housing units built before 1978. This includes about 229,000 children under 6 years old - who research has shown that are at greatest risk from lead exposure. Lead paint can seriously affect young children's health and has been banned from use in U.S. housing since 1978.
The report - released on May 12, 2021 - also evaluates the costs and feasibility of an intensified inspection program by HUD to identify lead-unsafe properties, but does not mention the importance of offering assistance to families with young children to move to lead-safe properties and neighborhoods.
The report documented that about 171,000 units were occupied by approximately 229,000 young children (under age 6), putting these children at an increased risk of lead exposure. The HUD voucher program requires visual assessments for identifying deteriorated paint, with no testing of paint or dust. Any change to stricter evaluation methods would need to consider that certain states have a larger portion of pre-1978 voucher units occupied by families with young children.
Estimated costs for adopting stricter lead evaluation methods for the voucher program would vary substantially depending on the method used and what units were included (see figure). Estimated initial costs range from about $60 million for a less expensive method applied only to units with young children to about $880 million for a more expensive method applied to all pre-1978 units. These estimated costs range from 3% to 41%, respectively, of the fiscal year 2021 budget dedicated to public housing agencies' administrative expenses for the voucher program. Total costs would also depend on the mobility of voucher households and the frequency of any additional lead evaluations.
GAO analyzed HUD data on the voucher program (as of year-end 2019, the most recent available) and information on lead professionals from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and states. GAO also conducted a nationwide, generalizable survey of lead professionals to estimate the costs of lead evaluation methods. In addition, GAO interviewed staff from HUD, EPA, and public housing agencies, and representatives from two national organizations that represent lead professionals.
For more information about the study, contact John H. Pendleton at (202) 512-8678 or pendletonj@gao.gov.
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Source: Poverty & Race Research Action Council (PRRAC), "PRRAC Update: Housing finance and racial justice; Strength in Diversity candidates," May 20, 2021.
