READING, Pa. – During its Committee of the Whole meeting Monday night, members of the administration updated Reading City Council on its lead remediation program.

Community Development Director David Barr said that because the city has an older housing stock, lead in paint and plumbing is a widespread concern in homes build prior to 1978.

“We received some funding in 2021 during COVID, and it took some time to get the program going,” Barr said. “One of the challenges this program has is in getting applicants into the pipeline. Anything you can do to spread the word in your districts would help.”

Jarel Melendez is the manager for the city’s lead hazard control program.

“Lead-based paint is still one of the most serious environmental health issues with children,” Melendez said. “Even small amounts of lead can affect brain development, learning behavior and long-term growth. And because those effects are permanent, preventing exposure before it happens is absolutely our strongest tool.”

Melendez said the city has a grant from the state Department of Health, which began in 2021 and was set to end in July 2023.

Melendez said the city used the funding to address nine housing units, but because it received an extension, it allowed the city to complete the remaining work and reach additional families.

Melendez said another line of funding was the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development lead hazard reduction grant which started in November 2021 and initially ended in May 2025 but has now been extended until May 2026.

“This funding total is $3.3 million, which includes a $450,000 city match requirement and a $400,000 healthy home supplement,” Melendez said. “Our unit benchmark for this grant is 150 units.”

“So far, we’ve spent and have been reimbursed for $2.05 million,” he said. “To date, we’ve completed 62 units, and we have 24 more that are pending construction.”

“The Healthy Home Supplement has been a key part of this grant,” he added. “It allows us to address additional safety concern such as, plumbing, electrical issues, ventilation problems, moisture and mold, pest intrusion, and other structural concerns that can affect overall health and safety.”

“This means families not only get lead hazards removed, but they also get a more holistically healthy living environment,” he said.

Melendez said the third line of funding has been a $481,429 grant from the state Department for Health through the American Rescue Plan Act funds. That grant expires in December 2026.

“Across all three grants, our team continues to conduct outreach and environmental assessments, lead abatement and clearance testing,” Melendez explained. “These grants allow us to work closely with families, property owners, contractors and public health partners to steadily move forward toward eliminating childhood lead exposure in our city.

“We are committed to meeting and exceeding our benchmarks and making the most of every dollar available,” he said.