Cleveland City Council members grilled Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority leaders over how it manages lead safety issues after a federal report revealed several violations during a four-hour-long committee meeting at Cleveland City Hall Wednesday.
The Health, Human Services and the Arts Committee asked CMHA leaders to discuss the recently released audit from the U.S. Department of House and Urban Development (HUD) Office of the Inspector General, which found CMHA failed to report cases of lead-poisoned children and painted over deteriorating paint before investigators could determine if the properties were the source of the lead exposure.
The report also found that CMHA failed to adequately inspect units for lead hazards and notify tenants about potential hazards. The audit reviewed CMHA's adherence to lead compliance requirements between January 2020 and December 2022.
"It opens a wound that has been festering in this city for decades," said Ward 12 Councilwoman Rebecca Maurer.
Ward 5 Councilman Richard Starr grew up in CMHA housing. During the meeting, he noted he has called on Cleveland and HUD to pay more attention to lead-related issues.
"Why does it always got to take two years, three years for us to just roll up our sleeves?," he said. "That's my problem with this."
Council members also accused CMHA of failing to protect Cleveland's children and to be accountable and transparent about issues with its lead management programs.
Specifically, the report said CMHA failed to follow federal rules when it did not inform HUD about 10 cases of children with elevated levels of lead in their blood or that it could not confirm reports of 4 additional cases.
The report also said in five of those cases, CMHA also failed to conduct an adequate environmental investigation and did not investigate one case at all.
CMHA painted over deteriorating paint before it completed its investigation, which can make it difficult to determine if the property was the source of the lead poisoning in half of the cases, according to the report.
CMHA Chief of Staff Jeff Wade pushed back against criticism from council members during Wednesday's meeting.
He said the violations were more a matter of "form than substance" and that CMHA's violations related to documentation, not efforts to make its properties safe.
Wade also outlined the steps CMHA is taking to improve its lead safety efforts, including new records systems, notification processes, and routine painting.
However, he acknowledged the audit is an "opportunity to learn."
"There's more work to be done," he said. "There are processes that aren't perfect that carried out by imperfect people, but this has deep and real consequences for families with children."
READ MORE: Father who lost son to lead poisoning calls on Cleveland to do more to make Cleveland lead safe
CMHA is the oldest housing authority in the United States. More than 4,000 units were constructed prior to 1978 when lead paint was banned.
Lead is toxic to humans and animals and there is no safe level in the blood. Lead exposure, especially in children, causes permanent neurological damage. Lead poisoning can lead to behavioral problems, learning disabilities, and other lifelong health problems.
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