Federal authorities today (Friday) announced a settlement with a South Bend property management firm over their allegations that the company failed to follow regulations on handling lead-based paint. But the news brings mixed reaction from an advocate on the issue.
The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice on Friday announced that Homeworks Construction will pay $10,000 to settle the allegations. EPA alleged that beginning in 2018, Homeworks renovated 17 homes built before 1978, the year lead paint was banned, without following federal rules on safely handling old paint.
Heidi Beidinger is an expert on lead paint at the University of Notre Dame and she’s worked for years on projects in South Bend to remove lead paint from older homes. She wasn’t quite sure how to react.
“Settling with the EPA is a step in the right direction, holding firms accountable for the fact that they exposed those families to lead," Beidinger says. "But the amount that they were required to pay was virtually nothing. $10,000? That’s like a slap on the wrist, so while I would be hopeful that this would be sort of a trend in the right direction, I’m also not particularly hopeful that it is.”
A Department of Justice spokesperson issued a statement saying the agency does not comment on how they become aware of cases. But in 2020 a South Bend family sued Homeworks, alleging lead paint in their Taylor Street home poisoned their 2-year-old son. That case is pending in St. Joseph Circuit Court.
