Safe Homes Lead Safe

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Executive Summary

Safe Homes Lead Safe is a nonprofit in Ohio that provides free lead risk assessments in homes where children under six live, coordinates remediation through Cuyahoga County and HUD funding and delivers healthy homes education to families in Cleveland's highest-risk neighborhoods. A certified lead risk assessor and a remediation coordinator work in the 15 zip codes with the highest rates of elevated child blood lead levels.

Lead poisoning is entirely preventable and causes permanent neurological damage. There is no safe blood lead level. Cleveland's housing stock is more than 90% pre-1978, and Cleveland children have elevated blood lead levels at nearly three times the national average. A family in a lead-contaminated home does not know it until a child is tested and the damage is already done. With this grant we will pay our lead risk assessors and buy the assessment supplies that identify hazards before any child is poisoned. We do not provide legal advice, and we are not a remediation contractor.

What we are asking for. Our program has a Year 1 budget of about $285,000. We are asking for $72,000 from the Cleveland lead safe community fund for lead risk assessor salaries and assessment supplies. The rest comes from HUD and state grants and donors listed in the funding section. Every dollar amount in this plan is an estimate.

Company Description

Safe Homes Lead Safe is a nonprofit organization recognized under section 501(c)(3) of the tax code, governed by a volunteer board that includes a MetroHealth pediatric physician, a Cuyahoga County Board of Health official, a Cleveland tenant rights attorney and three community members. The board meets monthly, approves the budget and oversees the executive director. A new organization without its own determination letter can use a fiscal sponsor, explained in the funding section.

What we believe. No child in greater Cleveland should be poisoned by lead paint in their home when a free assessment and remediation funding are available.

What we do:
- Free lead risk assessments. A certified lead risk assessor visits homes where children under six live. XRF gun testing of painted surfaces and dust wipe sampling identify hazards. Report provided within 10 business days.
- Interim controls education. At every assessment, the assessor teaches the family immediate steps they can take before remediation: wet mopping rather than dry sweeping, washing hands before eating, covering bare soil and safely handling deteriorating paint.
- Interim control supply kits. We leave each family a kit with wet mop supplies, child-safe hand soap, dust masks for any painting or repair and printed guides in English and Spanish.
- Remediation coordination. For high-risk units, we connect the family and landlord to the Cuyahoga County lead-safe housing fund, HUD Lead Hazard Control grants and emergency remediation assistance, and we track each case through completion.
- Compliance documentation. For landlords who refuse remediation in occupied units with young children, we compile the assessment documentation and refer to the Cleveland lead-safe ordinance compliance office.
- Community outreach. We partner with WIC offices and pediatric clinics for referrals and provide community education sessions at senior centers and library branches.

What we do not do. We do not remediate lead ourselves. We do not give legal advice. We do not share personal health information without written consent except as required by law. We call 911 in an emergency.

Who we serve. Families with children under six living in pre-1978 rental housing in the 15 highest-risk zip codes in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County.

Our board has at least five members, including at least one person who has used our services or lives in the community we serve, and only a minority of board members may be related to each other or paid by the organization.

We keep a written conflict of interest policy, a whistleblower policy and a record retention policy, and the board reviews them every year.

Problem & Opportunity

Cleveland's children have among the highest rates of elevated blood lead levels of any major American city.

1. Housing age. Most of Cleveland's housing stock pre-dates 1978, when lead paint was banned. Deteriorating lead paint and lead dust in those homes is the primary source of childhood lead exposure.
2. Elevated blood lead rates. Approximately 12% of Cleveland children under six have elevated blood lead levels, compared to a national average of about 4.4%.
3. The ordinance gap. Cleveland's 2019 Lead Safe Certificate ordinance requires pre-1978 rental properties to obtain certification before renting to families with young children. Enforcement is complaint-driven and inconsistent. Thousands of families live in non-compliant units.
4. Awareness gap. Most families in high-risk zip codes do not know their home has ever been assessed, do not know remediation funding is available and do not know interim controls that can reduce exposure between assessment and remediation.
5. Cost of harm. Lead poisoning costs Ohio a great deal each year in special education, health care and lost productivity.

Why it matters now. A lead-safe housing advocacy coalition in Cleveland has documented that the Lead Safe Certificate program has assessed only a small share of the rental units that should be certified under the ordinance. The gap is enormous and the harm is measurable.

How we know the need is real. We reviewed Cleveland Department of Public Health blood lead surveillance data, interviewed Cuyahoga County Board of Health lead program staff and talked with WIC nurses and pediatric clinic staff about the frequency of elevated results they see. In our pilot in five zip codes, 68% of assessed homes had at least one lead hazard and 34% had high-priority hazards requiring immediate action. The data is in the appendix.

Products & Services

What the funded project will do. With this grant we will pay a portion of lead risk assessor salaries and buy assessment supplies for a full year.

How a family moves through the program:
1. Referral. A WIC nurse or pediatric clinic staff member refers a family with a child under six. Families can also call us directly. The Cleveland Department of Public Health refers complaints from the ordinance compliance system.
2. Scheduling. We schedule the assessment within 10 business days of referral.
3. On-site assessment. The risk assessor visits the home, walks every painted surface with an XRF gun and collects dust wipe samples from floors and windowsills. The entire visit takes two to three hours.
4. Interim controls education. While on site, the assessor walks the family through the steps they can take today and leaves the supply kit.
5. Report and findings. We provide a written report within 10 business days of sample return from the lab. We review the report with the family by phone.
6. Remediation coordination. For high-risk findings, our coordinator connects the family and landlord to the county and HUD remediation funding and tracks the case through completion.
7. Follow-up blood lead testing. We coordinate with the child's pediatric provider to ensure the child receives blood lead testing at six months post-remediation.

What the grant pays for. This request covers a portion of risk assessor salaries and the cost of XRF gun lease, dust wipe lab fees and interim control supply kits.

What we do not promise. We do not promise that remediation funding will be available for every case or that every landlord will cooperate. We track homes assessed, hazards identified, remediation coordinations completed and child blood lead levels at six-month follow-up, and we report honestly.

Safety. Assessors are Ohio EPA certified. All personal health information is encrypted. We follow mandatory reporting requirements. We do not share a family's address with a landlord in any way that could lead to retaliation.

Market Analysis

Who benefits from this project are families with children under six in Cleveland's highest-risk zip codes.

Who we serve. Families with children under six renting pre-1978 housing in the 15 highest-risk Cleveland zip codes - primarily low-income African American families in older neighborhoods who have never had their home assessed.

How many we plan to serve. About 200 homes assessed, 80 remediation coordinations and 300 families through healthy homes education in Year 1. By Year 5 we plan to assess 350 homes annually. We chose those numbers from the assessors' capacity of four to five assessments per week each.

Where we serve. The 15 zip codes with the highest rates of elevated child blood lead levels in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County.

Who else benefits. Landlords who remediate avoid city fines and potential civil liability. The school system, which benefits from children who are not cognitively impaired by preventable poisoning.

We choose how many assessments to schedule from assessor availability and lab turnaround time, not from the size of the need.

Competitive Landscape

Other organizations in our area.

1. Cuyahoga County Board of Health lead program. Responds to elevated blood lead level reports - reactive, after poisoning has occurred. We are proactive and preventive.
2. Cleveland Department of Public Health lead-safe ordinance compliance. Complaint-driven enforcement. We provide documentation and refer cases.
3. HUD Lead Hazard Control grantees. Provide remediation funding but require a risk assessment first. We are the upstream assessment partner.
4. Private lead risk assessment contractors. Charge $400 to $600 per assessment that families cannot afford. We provide the assessment free.

What makes us different. We are proactive and preventive, not reactive. We assess before a child is poisoned, not after. We are the only organization in Cleveland's highest-risk zip codes doing free, proactive, community-based lead risk assessments.

How we avoid duplication. We meet quarterly with the county Board of Health and the city lead-safe compliance office to coordinate referrals and case tracking.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How we will reach families once the project is funded.

WIC offices. Ten WIC offices in the highest-risk zip codes are our primary referral source. WIC nurses see families with children under five and can make a referral at a well-child visit.

Pediatric clinics. Ten pediatric clinics in the target area refer at well-child visits when the family's address is in a pre-1978 high-risk building.

Cleveland Metropolitan School District. When lead hazard concerns are identified through a school health referral, the district refers to us.

Door-to-door outreach. In the highest-risk blocks, we conduct quarterly door-to-door outreach in the spring, when windows are opened and lead dust disturbance increases.

Funding cultivation. HUD Lead Hazard Control grants, EPA lead prevention grants, Ohio Department of Health lead poisoning prevention grants and children's health foundations are our primary funding sources.

Lead Free Cleveland fundraiser. An annual community fundraiser raises individual donor awareness and support.

Operations Plan

How the project will be carried out.

Timeline for Year 1. Month 1: confirm WIC and pediatric clinic referral agreements, stock assessment supplies, confirm lab contract. Months 2 to 12: run four to five assessments per week per assessor on a rolling schedule.

Assessment schedule. Two certified lead risk assessors, each averaging four to five assessments per week. Each assessment two to three hours on site plus one hour for report writing and follow-up.

Partners. Ten WIC offices, ten pediatric clinics, the Cleveland Department of Public Health, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, the county lead-safe housing fund and HUD Lead Hazard Control program staff. Each has or will have a written agreement.

Money controls. Assessment supply purchasing is done quarterly with board approval. Lab fees are paid directly to the contracted lab. Two people approve every payment over $500.

Records and reporting. We track homes assessed, hazards identified, percentage with high-priority hazards, remediation coordinations, cases completed and child blood lead levels at six-month follow-up. We report to funders twice a year.

Management & Organization

The executive director manages the program and the referral partnerships. Lead risk assessors conduct the on-site assessments. The remediation coordinator manages active cases from assessment through completion.

The team. Pay figures include payroll taxes and workers' compensation insurance. The numbers in parentheses are how many people we plan to have in Years 1 through 5. A number with a half, such as 2.5, means a hire phased in during the year or one part-time person.
- Executive Director: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 (Years 1 to 5), about $72,000 a year.
- Lead Risk Assessors (Ohio EPA certified): 2, 2, 3, 3, 3 (Years 1 to 5), about $52,000 a year each.
- Remediation Coordinator: 1, 1, 1, 2, 2 (Years 1 to 5), about $48,000 a year.
- Program Associate (added as the budget grows): 0, 0, 0, 0, 0.5 (Years 1 to 5), about $38,000 a year each, hired as new grant money arrives.

Governance and money controls. The board reviews financials monthly. An outside accountant prepares the yearly tax return. Every grant is in its own budget line.

Feedback and complaints. Families can give feedback by phone or at any community outreach event. We report themes to the board quarterly. No family loses services for speaking up.

Milestones Narrative

Goals for each of the first five years. These are goals, not promises.
- Before the grant starts: confirm WIC and clinic referral agreements, confirm XRF gun lease, sign lab contract.
- Year 1: assess about 200 homes, facilitate about 80 remediation coordinations, serve about 300 families through education. Budget about $285,000.
- Year 2: add a community health worker for outreach, expand to 280 homes assessed. Budget about $332,000.
- Year 3: publish a five-year Cleveland lead hazard data analysis with Cuyahoga County. Budget about $372,000.
- Year 4: expand to a third certified assessor to reach 320 homes annually. Budget about $415,000.
- Year 5: assess 350 homes annually and publish a plain results report. Budget about $452,000.

How we will measure results: homes assessed, hazards identified and severity, remediation coordinations completed, child blood lead levels at six-month follow-up and family interim controls knowledge. We report to funders twice a year.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $72,000 from the Cleveland lead safe community fund for a portion of lead risk assessor salaries and assessment supplies, for January through December 2027.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Lead Risk Assessor salaries (part), $52,000 (other funds cover the remaining $52,000 for the second assessor).
- Supplies: XRF gun lease, dust wipe lab fees and interim control supply kits, $20,000 (other funds add $6,000).

Other money in the program. This request is about 26% of Year 1 grant income. HUD and state grants pay for the majority.

Year 1 budget: about $285,000, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $6,000 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: HUD Lead Hazard Control Supplemental Grant $120,000; Ohio Department of Health Lead Prevention Grant $95,000; Cleveland Lead Safe Community Fund and Foundation Grants $58,000; Individual Donors and Lead Free Cleveland Fundraiser $12,000. Year 1 costs: executive director $72,000; lead risk assessors (ohio epa certified) $104,000; remediation coordinator $48,000; xRF gun lease and dust wipe lab fees $18,000; interim control supply kits for families $8,000; community outreach and education materials $8,000; lead Free Cleveland fundraiser $6,000; office and reporting $12,000; program supplies, participant support and contingency $1,200.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $14,800 are paid once from startup funds: $5,200 for XRF gun setup deposit and first-quarter lease, $3,600 for an encrypted assessment records system and laptops, $2,800 for legal setup and EPA certification verification, $1,800 for opening supply of dust wipe kits, interim control supply kits and lab setup and $1,400 for banners, outreach materials and a website.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($14,800), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $3,600) and a cash cushion of about $69,300, which is about 3 months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $88,000. We start with $20,000 of our own savings and $68,000 from the HUD Lead Hazard Control program startup allowance and board contributions, $88,000 in all, which covers that amount.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $285,000 in Year 1 to about $452,000 in Year 5. Grant revenue is planned at $215,000, $211,000, $238,000, $268,000 and $262,000 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows as sponsors and donors join. The program plans to end each year with a surplus, about $6,000, $45,300, $24,500, $9,400 and $16,100 in Years 1 to 5, which we put into savings. Some years are larger because new grant money arrives before the added staff are hired. The lowest year-end cash in the plan is about $75,600.

After the grant. HUD Lead Hazard Control and Ohio DOH grants remain the primary revenue sources. Individual donors grow as awareness of the lead issue in Cleveland increases.

Risks:
- XRF gun breakdown stops assessments. We maintain a maintenance agreement and identify a backup rental unit.
- A landlord refuses access for a remediation contractor. We document refusal and refer to the city compliance office; we cannot force access.
- Lab results may take longer than expected. We maintain a lab redundancy agreement with a second certified lab.
- A major grant may end. We maintain at least three active grant sources at all times.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach before you send this proposal:

- Your IRS determination letter showing 501(c)(3) status, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your board list and board minutes approving the application.
- Your most recent budget and financial statements.
- A list of other funders and what each has given or been asked to give.
- Ohio EPA Lead Inspector and Risk Assessor certifications for both assessors.
- XRF gun lease agreement.
- Lab contract for dust wipe analysis.
- WIC and pediatric clinic referral agreements.
- Cleveland DOH and Cuyahoga County BOH coordination agreements.
- HUD Lead Hazard Control supplemental grant documentation.
- Pilot data: 5 zip codes, 68% homes with at least one hazard, 34% high-priority.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers:
- HUD Lead Hazard Control Supplemental Grant: $120,000 in Year 1.
- Ohio Department of Health Lead Prevention Grant: $95,000 in Year 1.
- XRF gun lease: approximately $1,200 per month for two assessors sharing one gun, plus maintenance, $14,400 per year.
- Dust wipe lab fees: approximately $35 per sample set, averaged across 200 assessments, $7,000 per year.
- Interim control supply kits: approximately $40 per family for 200 families = $8,000 per year.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate.

Plain words used in this proposal:
- XRF gun: a handheld X-ray fluorescence analyzer that measures the concentration of lead in painted surfaces without disturbing the paint.
- Lead risk assessment: a certified inspection that identifies lead hazards in a home through visual inspection, XRF testing and dust wipe sampling.
- Interim controls: temporary measures a family can take to reduce lead exposure before full remediation, such as wet mopping, hand washing and covering bare soil.
- HUD: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which funds lead hazard control programs.
- Ohio EPA: Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, which certifies lead inspectors and risk assessors.
- 501(c)(3): the tax status that lets a nonprofit receive tax-deductible gifts and many grants.

Startup Costs