SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — The Lead Freedom House of Syracuse is providing temporary housing for families whose homes need emergency repairs after a child is diagnosed with lead poisoning.
The two-family home on South Avenue provides families with housing for six to eight weeks at a time. There are bedrooms both upstairs and downstairs, and it comes with new cabinets, bathrooms, and other typical living necessities.
Lead poisoning continues to impact Syracuse. According to the Onondaga County Health Department, roughly 9% to 10 % of the city’s children test positive for the disease. In fact, this is not the first time the city has attempted to combat the issue. Back in March, a Syracuse home on Lincoln Avenue was renovated for the same cause.
Two nonprofits, A Tiny Home For Good and Families For Lead Freedom Now, came together recently to ensure their shared vision for a lead-free home would come to fruition.
According to Oceanna Fair, chair of Families For Lead Freedom Now, the idea sprouted because of colleague and activist Darlene Medley, who dreamt of a project like this one.
“What if we had a lead-free house where families could go and have a safe place to stay during the process?” said Fair, who recalled Medley’s thoughts about the potential home.
A Tiny Home For Good volunteer, Sarah Mason, says that dream is finally coming true.
“It gives people on the south side a space to let their kids heal and let their house be fixed, with the protection and knowledge that they are in a safe place and a home that they can trust for the time that the project is happening,” said Mason.
But the housing initiative was not something that came together overnight. A Tiny Home For Good deputy Dominic Tricase says it took years before the process was finally complete.
“The timing was right, the partnership was right, the support from government officials was right, and we were able to make it happen,” said Tricase. “I’m just hoping that continues.”