The Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition has announced that its landlord incentive program will soon conclude as funding runs out. Since 2020, the program has provided rebates of $750 to $1,000 to property owners who obtained lead safe certification for their rental units. The program is ending because federal COVID-19 recovery funds that supported it have been nearly depleted. While the coalition has raised over $90 million total, the remaining dollars have restrictions that prevent their use for landlord incentives. By the time the program wraps up, it will have distributed approximately $8.9 million in rebates to around 9,000 rental units—nearly double the original budget projections. Coalition officials consider this a success, noting they reached far more property owners than initially expected. However, challenges remain. As of early December, only about 28,000 Cleveland rental units held active lead safe certifications—representing less than one-third of the city’s estimated rental housing stock. Cleveland’s public health director indicated that remaining coalition funds will shift toward direct interventions, including lead removal from homes, relocation assistance for affected families, and operating resource centers to support property owners navigating the certification process. For more details, read the full article at Signal Cleveland.