At the NJ League of Municipalities conference, an expert panel advised the following actions to unlock funding for lead remediation in NJ Municipalities:
- Know and Engage Your Local Resources
- Enable Local Interdepartmental Collaboration
- Coordinate Lead Remediation Grants with Lead Paint Inspection Law Efforts
- Get Involved with Collaboration and Advocacy
Keep reading |
At the 2025 NJ Lead and Healthy Homes Convening:
- Parents Called for Sustained Lead Paint Remediation Funding, Trusted Community Messengers, and Improved Communication from NJ Health Departments
- Commissioners Responded to Lived Experience Experts and Provided Information Updates
- Learning at Conference Breakout Sessions
Keep reading |
At the Isles Fall Forum, lead & healthy homes topics included:
- Maternal Health & Lead Prevention
- Healthy Homes Best Practices
- Advocacy Workshop for Lead Funding
Review the presentation materials here. |
At the Jersey Water Works conference, workshops included funding and contractor collaboration for lead service line replacement, plus policy solutions to address lead in drinking water.
Review the presentation materials here. |
Upcoming Lead-Free NJ Committee Meetings
- LFNJ Housing Committee, February 18, 10am
- Contact Natasha to join: ntabachnikoff@ghhi.org
- LFNJ Health Committee, February 26, 4pm
- Contact Heather to join: hsorge@njfuture.org
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How Many LRAP Units Have Been Completed in Your Town?
As of December 2025, over 1960 housing units have been made lead-safe through NJ DCA's Lead Remediation and Abatement Program (LRAP). Use this map, developed by New Jersey Future intern, Juliet Rosa, to explore how many units have been completed in each municipality. |
Reflecting on Maternal Health Awareness Day
January 23 was Maternal Health Awareness Day. We appreciate Lead-Free NJ members' work to improve maternal health in New Jersey:
Isles championed A4848/S3616, a bill requiring health care professionals to perform lead screening on pregnant persons under certain circumstances, which was signed by Governor Murphy along with three other maternal health bills.
Isles' GOTrenton! rideshare program is partnering with NJ Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority to provide free rides to pregnant and postpartum women and the perinatal workforce in Trenton. Contact info@njmihia.gov or gotrenton@isles.org |
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State Updates and Advocacy Achievements
LRAP Changes
As of 1/27/26, NJ DCA has implemented changes to the Lead Paint Remediation and Abatement program to alleviate barriers for unit completion and program participation, including increasing funding caps, revising income limits for certain abatement cases, and allowing program eligibility by verifying that the household is located within a Qualified Census Tract (QCT). These changes are aligned with recommendations submitted by the Lead-Free NJ Housing Committee to NJDCA leadership. |
Action Alert from National Safe and Healthy Housing Coalition: Sign On Letter - EPA Lead Soil Guidance
The following information would impact the Superfund Site in East Trenton:
National Safe and Healthy Housing Coalition (NSHHC) is putting forward a sign on letter regarding EPA's directive in October 2025 that updated residential soil lead guidance. The NSHHC is urging EPA to reconsider the guidance and restore the protections previously issued in January 2024.
To read the full letter, which includes a description of the guidance and the NSHHC’s comments, click here. To read the EPA directive, click here.
You can sign on either on behalf of an organization or as an individual. The deadline to add your signature is February 11, 2026.
Please contact Sarah Goodwin at sarah@nshhcoalition.org with any questions or comments. |
HUD Lead Hazard Reduction Capacity Building Grant Open, HUD Spending Bill for FY26
- HUD's Lead Hazard Reduction Capacity Building Grant Program is accepting applications through February 26. Learn more here.
- HUD Spending Bill for FY26, expected to pass before January 30, increased $7.3 billion overall from the previous fiscal year, for a total of $77.3 billion, but reduces Healthy Homes & Lead Hazard funding. Learn more here.
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The Power of Your Voice: A Policy Engagement Series for Public Health Professionals
Join the Center for Health Equity & Wellbeing: A three-part training series designed to raise awareness, build preparedness, and help participants navigate the government processes that shape policy, empowering you to take action on the issues that matter most in your community. Register here. |
Wellpoint Networking Breakfast - Health Summit
Join Wellpoint for a morning of networking and discussions on health at our Wellpoint Networking Breakfast - Health Summit on February 6, 2026! Edison, NJ
Friday, Feb 6 from 9 am to 11:30 am EST. Register here.
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Understanding the Black Carceral Experience through the lens of Environmental Justice
Join Women Who Never Give Up & Clean Water Action for a Public Community Forum. Date: February 26, 2026 | 6:00–8:30 PM. Location: Rutgers Law School
Explore the Black carceral experience through an environmental justice lens, examining how mass incarceration intersects with environmental harm, health inequities, and racial injustice. This community forum will feature individuals with lived experience and advocates who will share insight into conditions inside prisons and their impacts on surrounding communities. Register here. |
East Trenton Collaborative Community Lead Policy Info Session
February 27, 5:00-7:00PM
Understand the bills enacted in 2025 and 2026 that protect renters and pregnant women. At the workshop, residents will learn how, where, and why to use water filters, as well as about TWW's replacement of lead service lines. Discuss the monies that could be used to equip our Trenton schools with clean drinking water. Learn about the plans for Remedial Action and Removal Action for soil remediation in the East Trenton neighborhood. Contact: ssnider@urbanpromisetrenton.org |
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