SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — The Syracuse Tenants Union is frustrated about decades of neglect from local government. Union representative Jocelyn Richards said she is disappointed by Syracuse law enforcement, which hasn’t done nearly enough to change the long-lasting issue of lead poisoning.
“When we talk with county representatives and things, they seem really concerned about the issue,” Richards said. “But when it comes to pushing them to do more, it’s always a struggle.”
The city of Syracuse has begun to address lead levels in older housing by spending millions of dollars in federal money in lead abatement, according to Syracuse.com. But for organizations like the Syracuse Tenants Union, the promises just feel empty and are acted upon lazily.
Richards thinks it’s time for renovation now, and says that the union is considering physically replacing the windows, doors and other lead-ridden house features.
“We’ve also talked about taking things into our own hands like training each other, having members train to become certified in lead abatement or lead practices… so we could maybe create teams to do painting ourselves,” Richards said.
The union says training courses only take one day to complete.
Over 11% of Syracuse children had elevated lead levels in their blood as of 2022, according to Syracuse.com. Lead poisoning is known to damage the brain and nervous system when heightened.
Especially for the development of children, the city needs renovation one way or another.
