Councilwoman Rebecca Maurer Expresses Relief at HUD's Extension of $7.6 Million Lead Grant for Cleveland

May 30, 2025

Councilwoman Rebecca Maurer today expressed relief at the news that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) granted the City of Cleveland a one-year extension on its $7.6 million lead abatement grant, which had been set to expire on May 31, 2025.

“This extension is welcome news for the families and children of Cleveland,” said Councilwoman Maurer. “I am deeply relieved that we will not lose these critical funds.”

However, Councilwoman Maurer also emphasized that the city should never have come this close to losing such vital funding.

“This grant was at risk because of endless unaddressed bureaucratic hoops. It is unacceptable. We owe it to Clevelanders to do better,” she said. “The Administration knew for years that these grants were troubled, and HUD repeatedly said the grants were ‘yellow flagged’ and ‘red-flagged.’

"Especially in this national political climate, we were lucky to get this extension.”

Councilwoman Maurer warned that while this extension provides a temporary reprieve, the broader landscape around lead requires attention.

“These grants are just one part of a complex ecosystem. I do not doubt that all the stakeholders at the table -- from the Mayor’s Administration to Council to the private sector -- remain deeply committed to the goal of a lead-safe Cleveland," she said. "But we’re not there yet. Not even close. And we need to remember that we are responsible for rebuilding trust with Clevelanders who have been let down for generations by leaders who promised to do this work and then failed. Even the possibility of losing this grant reopens those old wounds.”

Councilwoman Maurer emphasized the work ahead. “I am looking at a lot of benchmarks in the coming months,” she added. “I want to see the rate of spending in all lead-safety programs go up. We have tens of millions of dollars committed to this work beyond the HUD money, and we need to get it out of our bank accounts and into homes.”

Councilwoman Maurer also added that the upcoming Lead Safe Advisory Board meeting on June 12 at 1:00 pm will be a chance to share updates on the city’s lead safe program. Councilwoman Maurer invites the public and media to attend either in person in City Hall Room 509 or on a live stream.

The city is awaiting decisions on two more extension requests for lead abatement grants that are pending.