New Britain is getting $5.6 million in federal funding over the next four years to hunt down lead paint and other hazards hiding in the city's older housing stock. Mayor Bobby Sanchez announced the award at New Britain City Hall, calling it a four-year commitment to make 166 housing units lead-safe and complete roughly 80 additional home safety projects across the city.
Where the Money Comes From and What It Covers
The grant comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Grant Program, according to fox61.com. As the New Britain Herald reports, the funding will pay for testing homes for lead hazards, developing plans for needed work, and then removing or controlling those hazards once identified. Grant dollars can also cover post-work testing and repairs for other eligible health and safety problems uncovered along the way.
The work isn't limited to lead. Per New Britain Progressive, the grant will let crews remove hazards such as lead, asbestos, mold, moisture and other issues that can threaten residents' health. That broader scope is why the city is pairing lead abatement with what officials call Healthy Homes interventions — repairs meant to make a dwelling safer overall, not just free of lead dust.
A First-Year Target of 20 Units
City officials aren't waiting four years to start showing results. New Britain Progressive's report on the announcement notes the city aims to complete 20 lead-safe units during the first year of the grant, with New Britain officials expected to identify more eligible properties for improvements as the remaining years unfold. The Herald's reporting adds that New Britain's community development staff will manage the program day to day, with support from the city's health department.
Connecticut Children's Healthy Homes Program is partnering with the city on the effort, a collaboration the organization described in its own announcement. “CT Children's is thrilled again to partner with the City of New Britain,” the group said, according to New Britain Progressive. Christopher Corcoran manages the Connecticut Children's Healthy Homes Program, and Connecticut Children's Medical Center is also supporting the initiative, per the Herald's reporting.
Why New Britain's Older Housing Is the Focus
The target is New Britain's aging housing stock. Many homes in the city were built before 1978, the year lead-based paint was banned for residential use, as WTNH reports. HUD's lead hazard reduction programs generally focus on homes built before that cutoff where income-eligible families live, according to the Herald. That pre-1978 housing problem isn't unique to New Britain — statewide, about 73% of Connecticut homes were built before 1980, according to a 2018 report from Connecticut Public, with roughly 30% of the state's housing stock dating to before 1950.
The stakes behind those numbers are real. Connecticut recorded 2,000 confirmed cases of lead poisoning among children under 6 in 2016, Connecticut Public's reporting found, and a state task force cited by the Hartford Courant found that 83% of elevated blood-lead-level reports among 1- and 2-year-olds came from just 15 large, poor communities, including New Britain. Sanchez framed the new grant in those terms, saying the investment protects New Britain's children, preserves homes and supports safe and healthy living environments. “No parent should have to wonder whether a home is putting a child's health at risk,” Sanchez said.
Building on a 2021 Award
This isn't New Britain's first run at the problem. The new grant builds on the city's $5 million grant awarded in 2021 for the same purpose, WTNH notes, which itself included $5 million for lead hazard reduction and $600,000 for Healthy Homes activities. A decade earlier, a 2016 federal grant aimed at New Britain was reported by the Hartford Courant as committing $3.4 million to remove lead hazards from the homes of more than 180 low-income city families — in a separate passage, the same outlet described that award as paying for lead abatement at homes of 184 low-income and extremely low-income families, and for evaluations of 202 other homes.
New Britain isn't the only Connecticut city to receive HUD funding for this kind of work. In a separate funding round reported in 2024, Waterbury will receive $7 million, Bridgeport will get $6,006,105 and Norwich will receive $3,157,991, according to fox61.com. Outside the state, Pawtucket, Rhode Island, was awarded a $4.4 million HUD Lead Hazard Reduction Grant that, with a local match, is expected to bring total investment there to $4.82 million, with that program targeting homes with children age six and younger and pregnant women, per the Valley Breeze.
How Residents and Landlords Can Apply
City officials are encouraging residents, landlords and property owners to check whether their properties qualify for the program, the Herald reports. Eligible residents can get help from application through completion of the work. Program information is available through the New Britain Planning and Development Department, or by calling Margaret Malinowski at 860-826-3341.
