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"Home Safe Home" Program

The “Home Safe Home” program of the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) protects low-income children and families in the City of San Diego from lead-based paint and other home health hazards.

Top priority is given to families whose homes are frequented by children under the age of 6-years old. Primary outreach efforts focus on high-risk target areas that include the communities of:

City Heights
Linda Vista
Logan Heights
Sherman Heights

Lead Level Blood Testing

To determine if a child has been exposed to lead, blood tests are performed at select school and community sites as part of the program’s community outreach efforts, which are organized by the Environmental Health Coalition in partnership with SDHC.

La Maestra Community Health Center conducts the blood tests using a non-invasive Lead Care II blood analyzer that was purchased by SDHC under a program grant in 2008.

Test results are immediate – within three minutes. If a child tests positive, families will be referred for further medical evaluation. In addition, families are provided with information on how to eliminate lead hazards, offered a free home inspection, and encouraged to sign-up for the “Home Safe Home” Program.

“Home Safe Home” brochure

Home Lead Remediation

“Home Safe Home” also conducts lead paint remediation in qualifying homes that were built before 1979. Maximum grant amounts are:

$10,000 for single-family structures
$5,000 per unit for multi-family structures. An additional $5,000 per project will be made available for multi-family projects to control lead hazards in common areas.
Once a property qualifies for remediation, property owners are required to competitively bid their projects and to select the lowest responsive bid. If the program budget is insufficient to cover total project costs, the property owner will be required to provide supplemental funding.

Members of the public interested in the program may submit a pre-application form.

For more information about lead safety please visit the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Web site

Home Health Hazards

“Home Safe Home” can also help families address other health and safety-related issues present in their homes. Eligible homes will be evaluated for such problems as:

Integrative pest management

Roaches
Rodents
Dust mites

Mold and moisture control
Indoor air quality
Debris removal
Asthma/allergies
Home safety and unintentional injuries

On average, grant amounts are $2,700 per family. Final selection for the program is determined by SDHC.

Members of the public interested in the program may submit a pre-application form.

“Home Safe Home” Grant Partnership

“Home Safe Home” is funded by two ongoing federal grants from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). Totaling $4.1 million, the grants are comprised of:

$3.1 million from HUD’s Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control Grant Program
$1.0 million from HUD’s Healthy Homes Production Grant Program.

The program has received over $20 million in federal grants since its inception in 2002.

Partners include:

U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD)	American Lung Association	Southeastern Economic Development Corporation (SEDC)
Environmental Health Coalition	Urban Corps of San Diego County	Bayside Community Center
City of San Diego Environmental Services	Rebuilding Together San Diego	Mid-City CAN
City of San Diego Redevelopment Agency	Richard Health & Associates - SDG&E Energy Team	Healthy Homes Collaborative
County of San Diego Health Services	Metropolitan Area Advisory Committee (MAAC)	Sherman Heights Community Center
La Maestra Community Health Center	Campesinos Unidos