Washington, D.C.– Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva today congratulated Tucson’s Sonora Environmental Research Institute (SERI) on its recently announced $999,550 grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Healthy Homes Production Program. The grant will be used to evaluate approximately 2,000 homes in the city for health and safety hazards, remove hazards where possible, conduct outreach and education events for the public, and train volunteers.

The grant will extend SERI’s current partnership with the Prevention Division of the Tucson Fire Department. The group has already conducted more than 5,000 home visits in metropolitan Tucson, according to information from the group, and expects to reach more than 12,000 Tucsonans with its new round of outreach and education efforts.

“This is an important investment in Tucson’s health and safety, and I thank SERI for continuing to provide this valuable service,” Grijalva said. “Each dollar spent informing the public on asthma reduction, lead safety and home health reduces our community’s health care costs, hospital visits and risks to child and family well-being. This is an important part of making Tucson a livable city, and I congratulate SERI and its partners on being the ones to make it happen.”

Other partners in the program include El Rio Community Health Center, Primera Iglesia Bautista–Kairoschurch, Tucson Clean and Beautiful, Tucson Electric Power Company and the City of Tucson Department of Housing and Community Development.

The money is expected to be transferred by the third week of February. For more information, contact SERI President Ann Marie Wolf at (520) 321-9488.