U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker recently announced a total of nearly $3.86 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the city of Newark and Greater Bergen Community Action in Hackensack.
The funding is part of the Healthy Homes Production Grant Program that aims to protect children and their families from housing-related health and safety hazards.
“A healthy home is a key to a healthy childhood, and this funding will help New Jersey families maintain healthy and safe places to raise their children without the added worry of house hazards, childhood diseases and injuries,” Menendez (D-N.J.) said. “No parent should have to fear having things like mold, lead, allergens, asthma, pesticides (or) carbon monoxide threaten the well-being of their children while at home.”
“All children deserve a safe, healthy environment to call home,” Booker (D-N.J.) added. “This grant will allow Newark and Hackensack to take a coordinated, holistic approach to remediating health and safety hazards in homes and protecting children.”
The Healthy Homes Production Grant Program focuses on housing-related hazards to address various childhood diseases and injuries in the home. This funding will allow these housing-related hazards to be addresses in a coordinated fashion, rather than addressing a single hazard at a given time.
The $3.8 million in federal funding was awarded as follows:
- The city of Newark in Essex County will receive $2 million; and
- Greater Bergen Community Action in Hackensack, Bergen County will receive $1,859,777.21.
