Kansas City was awarded $2.9 million grant to help fight lead poisoning

At least 150 families will have a safer home in Kansas City, but health officials say the lead poisoning problem is still at a very dangerous level.

"It's a huge problem in Kansas City. Almost 80-percent of the homes in Kansas City were built before 1978, and that makes them high risk for having lead paint hazards, said Amy Roberts with Environmental Health Services.

That equals to about 84,000 homes that still have lead paint.

In the past 20 years, they've been able to remediate about 2,500 of those homes.

With the Housing and Urban Development Grant of $2.9 million, another 152 low-income, family-owned homes will be stripped from the lead. The grant will also help test children for lead poisoning.

Although it seems like a lot of money, health experts say it only goes so far.

"It's a drop in the bucket for the amount of high-risk housing we have in Kansas City, but it's something it helps us move forward although the steps are really small," Roberts said.

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