The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced it would provide grants to the state and Hennepin County as part of a larger funding initiative to remove lead paint from housing units.
The two federal programs the funding comes from are the Lead Based Paint Reduction Program and the Healthy Homes Production Grant Program for Tribal Housing. Minnesota and Hennepin County will receive a total of $8.9 million for the initiative, WCCO reports. Hennepin will receive $5.6 million while the state as a whole will receive $3.3 million.
The funding will go toward low-income housing. Then-Gov. Mark Dayton designated low-income housing as "opportunity zones" in 2017 as part of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was meant to encourage private businesses to invest in the areas through tax incentives, the news agency reports.
HUD Secretary Ben Carson said the agency is committed to improving the lives of children and families.
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