A home in the 100 block of Lincoln Ave. in Syracuse is the newest weapon in the region’s effort to end lead poisoning of children.
The home will provide a temporary place to live for up to four families at a time who are having emergency lead abatement repairs made to their homes or apartments.
Syracuse and Onondaga County spent $500,000 to renovate the home into four apartments, which will be managed by the Syracuse non-profit Home HeadQuarters. Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens and Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon celebrated the home’s completion Tuesday, showing off one apartment for reporters.
The apartment has two bedrooms, plus two pull-out couches in the living room, a kitchen with new appliances and a bathroom. The apartment features a ramp to the back door for accessibility.
“This would be much more conducive to family living than staying in a hotel,” said Kerry Quaglia, CEO and founder of Home HeadQuarters, who noted that families will stay only a few weeks while repairs are underway. “But as soon as it's safe for the family to move back to their home, they'll do so and we'll get the apartment ready for the next family to come in.”
“I wish the best for every family that is going to step into this property in their transition so that their transition is less traumatic,” said Owens. “It is an absolutely beautiful place for them to be temporarily.”
McMahon said the county Health Department will determine which families qualify to stay at the home. The first residents are expected within the next month.
The county has undertaken an aggressive plan to remove lead from homes, which was commonly used in paint, windows and water pipes for many years. The county reports it is working in more than 130 homes at present to remove lead.
Lead poisoning is a stubbornly persistent problem, causing brain damage, learning disabilities and behavioral issues in children and organ failure in adults. Between 5% and 6% of all Onondaga County children tested show elevated lead levels in their blood. It is ten times more likely to show up in children from Syracuse as from the rest of the county, and more likely to be found in children living on Syracuse’s southwest and north sides.
Dr. Howard Weinberger, retired from SUNY Upstate after a long career campaigning against all kinds of childhood poisoning, had the home officially named for him Tuesday.
“It gives me a feeling of security to know that all that work that we did has come out in a positive way and I think this is a model for what you've done here in the community and I hope you'll do other models like that because it's really beautiful,” he said.
“If this works,” said McMahon, “then we'll look for other multi-unit properties where we can replicate the success and get the job done.”
