“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust are some of the most widespread and hazardous sources of lead exposure for young children in the United States.  When lead-based paint peels and cracks, it results in lead-contaminated paint chips and dust.  Children can be poisoned if they chew on surfaces coated with lead-based paint, eat flaking paint chips, or eat or…

The West Calumet Housing Complex (WCHC), located in East Chicago, IN, was a public housing development that opened in 1972 on top of a former lead smelting plant.  HUD and other agencies missed multiple opportunities to identify site contamination at WCHC.  As a result, WCHC residents continued living in unsafe conditions for decades, and inadequate oversight led to the lead poisoning of children in WCHC.  Between 2005 and 2015, a…

We audited the City of High Point’s lead-based paint procurement and eligibility operations.  We selected the Authority based on concerns from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control.  Our audit objective was to determine whether the City administered its lead-based paint hazard control grants in accordance with HUD’s regulations and grant requirements for…