Voices for Lead-Safe Homes
Buffalo’s lead poisoning crisis is four times higher than Flint, Michigan — and our community is demanding better.
Watch our new 20-minute short film documenting the Erie County Lead Safe Task Force’s push to improve hazardous housing conditions, educate residents, and end the epidemic of lead exposure in Buffalo.
From community members, tenant organizers to public health advocates, this film highlights the people and partnerships driving real change toward lead-safe, healthy homes for every family.
Help Make your Community Lead Safe
Lead poisoning is 100% preventable, and the Lead Safe Task Force is open to everyone. Join the Lead Safe Task Force to lend your voice to raising awareness and eliminating lead poisoning for our most vulnerable citizens.
Please contact Tabitha Wechter, the Director of the Lead Safe Task Force at tabitha@buffaloleadsafe.org to learn how to get involved.
About The Lead Safe Task Force
The Buffalo and Erie County Lead Safe Task Force seeks to amplify the voices of parents with young children, increase the volume of grassroots engagement, and engage a broad array of stakeholders in making Buffalo lead-safe. Join parents, caregivers, nonprofit organizations, as well as faith-, neighborhood-, and community-based groups that serve families with young children who may be affected by lead poisoning. There are many opportunities to contribute your time and talent to protecting our children.
Participation in the Lead Safe Task Force is open to any individual and/or organization committed to preventing childhood lead poisoning in our community. The work of the Task Force is spread across three working groups.
Production Work Group
The Production Work Group seeks to substantially increase the number of lead-safe housing units in Buffalo and Erie County to address the urgent, unmet demand for safe, affordable housing. The Production Work Group will work to identify efficiencies, remove barriers and develop additional resources, including private and public dollars, to remediate lead and construct housing. The Production Work Group will also work to collect, organize and publish relevant data intended to drive action towards increasing lead-safe housing units.
Community Engagement Work Group
The Community Engagement Work Group works to ensure lead poisoning prevention and intervention services meet community needs. They partner with residents and community-based organizations to amplify individual voices, elevate lived experiences, and co-create solutions to reduce lead poisoning. This group also works on marketing and outreach campaigns.
Policy (Systems Improvement) Work Group
The Policy Work Group is the “action team” of the Buffalo and Erie Lead Safe Task Force (LSTF) that focuses on the systems-change needed to reduce the incidence of childhood lead poisoning.The System Improvements Work Group develops and strengthens processes, policies, resources, and regulations needed.
Benefits of a Lead Safe Home for Children
Increased Academic Performance in School
Higher IQ
Increased Ability to Pay Attention
