The City of Las Vegas is offering qualifying residents with young children lead paint removal and financial help to fix leaks in their homes.
The efforts come as part of a partnership with the Las Vegas Water District to offer the Drip Repair and Intervention Program, which offers up to $7,500 for qualifying homeowners needing water leak repairs in their homes.
Qualifying homeowners must be located within the City of Las Vegas jurisdiction, live in the home as a primary residence, and have a household annual income under $76,150 for a household of four or $53,350 for an individual.
The financial aid must also be used specifically to repair water leaks at the home, including leaks from the on-site service line that connects homes to water meters.
The City of Las Vegas is also offering free lead-hazard assessments and repairs to older homes, to improve the health and safety of residents with small children.
According to a 2023 study by UNLV and the Nevada Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, there are over 213,000 children in Nevada under the age of 6. Yet, only 3% are tested for lead exposure. That makes Nevada one of the lowest testing states in the country.
“While childhood lead poisoning rates have decreased substantially since the 1970s, mounting evidence suggests that chronic, low-level exposure in early childhood can have long-lasting impacts on children,” the researchers said in the study.
According to the Southern Nevada Health District, 25% of homes in Nevada were built before the 1978 ban on lead paint. SNHD warns that at high levels, lead poisoning among children can lead to hearing loss, headaches, brain damage, anemia, coma, and even death.
The city was awarded a 48-month grant by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes, which aims to reduce childhood lead poisoning.
This program is free to eligible households. To see if you qualify and to apply, call (702)229-7444, or email shift@lasvegasnevada.gov.
