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EPA Awards Environmental Justice Grant to Community Group in Rochester, NY

Release Date: 06/12/2007
Contact Information: Elias Rodriguez (212) 637-3664, [email protected]

(Rochester, N.Y.) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded the Southwest Area Neighborhood Association (SWAN) in Rochester, N.Y. a $100,000 grant to help reduce the exposure of community residents to household hazards such as lead, carbon monoxide and asthma triggers. The EPA grant was given through a Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) Cooperative Agreements program, and presented to SWAN last week at a workshop in Washington D.C.

“This grant will help ensure that Rochester area residents know about simple steps they can take to improve air quality inside their homes and reduce exposure to potentially harmful substances,” said Alan J. Steinberg, EPA Regional Administrator.

The purpose of the environmental justice CPS grants program is to provide communities with information to help them develop proactive, strategic, and visionary approaches to address environmental justice issues, and to achieve community health and sustainability. Since 1994, EPA has provided over $31 million in funding to more than 1,100 community-based organizations.

SWAN has been working with Southwestern Rochester residents, business, religious organizations, and private institutions for twenty five years to help realize the mission of the organizations to improve the quality of life for both residents and families. The grant to SWAN will to be used over a three year period to address household hazards in the community. Its focus will be on lead exposure, asthma triggers, and carbon monoxide, with the overall goal of reducing the exposure of residents to these hazards. In order to accomplish its goal, SWAN will be educating residents on ways to avoid household hazards, specifically identifying changes that can be made by individuals to reduce exposure. Additionally, they will help community members access resources and services that deal with exposure to household hazards. To ensure the program’s success, SWAN will follow up with community participants and resource providers to determine if household behaviors improved and if necessary services were provided.

For more information on Environmental Justice grants, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/compliance/environmentaljustice/grants/index.html

To find out more about grants awarded in Region 2: https://www.epa.gov/region02/grants/

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