Lead Safe Homes Program

The Lead Safe Homes Program (LSHP) is a grant program that helps eligible residents of Santa Clara County with lead testing, inspection, and abatement services—free of charge to the property owner. The LSHP is administered by Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley.

All of the following must be true:

• The home was built before 1978.
• The home must be occupied by a household earning a "low income" (see table above).
• The household includes a child under 6 years of age or a pregnant person.
• The home is located in Santa Clara County.
• The home is a residential property consisting of 9 or fewer units.

Eligible applicants can receive up to $50,000 in services per home, to be applied to lead paint inspection and—should lead paint hazards be found—lead paint abatement. Both owner-occupied homes and tenant-occupied homes may qualify.

We are currently in the Pilot Phase of the LSHP, during which we will be able to serve a limited number of residents. Following this phase, we will begin full program implementation. If you are interested in applying, please submit an interest form. Given the limited number of projects to be conducted during this pilot phase, eligible applicants may be added to a waitlist for participation during the full program implementation phase.

The presence of lead paint can be harmful to residents’ health, particularly in older residences where paint may be peeling or chipped. Lead paint can be especially hazardous in homes where young children are present. You can learn more about lead-based health risks at the CDC's website. 

If your home or residence was built before 1978, it likely contains lead paint. And if your home was built before 1950, there's a good chance it has significantly higher levels of lead in the paint. If you are eligible for the LSHP, we'll provide a lead paint inspection to determine whether you have lead paint hazards in your home, and how severe they are.

To qualify for this program, Habitat and our contracted inspectors must inspect your residence directly using the LSHP guidelines. If you are a participant in the LSHP, this inspection is free of charge.

Mobile homes and properties used for short-term rentals (such as AirBnB or VRBO) are not eligible to participate. Condos and apartments are eligible if they are located in Santa Clara County, built before 1978, and have 9 or fewer units.

Both renter-occupied and owner-occupied properties are eligible to apply to the Lead Safe Homes Program. Those eligible to apply include tenants who are renting their home and homeowners who own and live in their own home.

If you are a renter, you may submit the Interest Form, which determines initial eligibility, but you must include the contact information for your landlord/property owner. If the Program determines you are eligible for services, we will need to obtain the consent from your landlord/property owner to participate.

By participating in the LSHP, you can rest easy knowing your home is safe from lead paint hazards—at no cost to you. As an LSHP participant, you can expect:

• Free lead-paint inspection and risk assessment testing of interior/exterior
• Health education on lead poisoning prevention
• Complete project management services by the Habitat team to coordinate scope of work
  preparation, subcontractor selection, payment of invoices, and project monitoring
• Abatement and/or repair of identified lead-paint hazards in your home by licensed and
  certified contractors (eligible work will be dependent on property type)
• Temporary relocation expenses if necessary, subject to program terms
• Post-work final clearance inspection and project close-out

The LSHP offers temporary relocation assistance to eligible program participants, in the event that relocation is necessary for lead abatement work. Habitat will review the scope of work to determine if you're eligible to be relocated temporarily. Funding assistance may include temporary relocation costs to an approved hotel/motel, meals and incidentals, and pet boarding.

Glad you asked! The first step is to submit an Interest Form, so we can evaluate initial eligibility. You can fill out that Interest Form online, or download it to mail, email, or fax to our office at:

You can even work with an LSHP staff member to complete an Interest Form over the phone at (510) 803-3388!