Item 23 - Public Hearing for FY 2025-29 5 Year Plan, Annual Action Plan for CDBG, HOME, and ESG Programs

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107 growing bodies absorb more lead, and young children often put their hands and other objects in their mouths. Most children do not have any symptoms, even if a blood test shows that they have an elevated blood lead level. If a child does have symptoms, the symptoms may be mistaken for the flu or other illnesses. Most of the housing stock in Santa Ana was built before 1979 and is presumed to contain lead paint. The 2016-2020 CHAS data shows 7,825 low- and moderate-income renter households with children under the age of six were living in housing constructed before 1980, and 2,905 owner-occupied households meet the same conditions. Number of Children with Elevated Blood Levels of Lead The State of California mandates lead screening for all children who participate in publicly funded health programs. In California, screening typically occurs at ages one and two years. A blood level of 10 µg/dL or higher was previously referred to as an “elevated blood level (EBL).” However, as it is now recognized there is no safe level of lead, and adverse effects occur at levels below 10 µg/dL, an “elevated” blood lead level is no longer defined at a specific cut-off point. Of Orange County children under the age of six whose blood lead level has been fully tested 1.46 percent have levels greater than 3.5 mcg/Dl. Discussion Preservation of the physical and functional integrity of existing housing units occupied by low- and moderate-income households is a cost-effective way to invest limited resources to retain existing housing units already affordable to low- and moderate-income households in the community. Many different types of housing services are needed. As required by HUD’s Lead Safe Housing Rule, the City’s housing rehabilitation programs will include appropriate safety measures such as testing and abatement for projects involving units constructed prior to 1978. EXHIBIT 1