The LeadSafe Initiative: FY II

The LeadSafe Initiative, operated out of Central Vermont Community Action Agency, Inc. (CVCAC) in Barre, Vermont through the Micro Business Development Program (MBDP), provides self-employment strategies of micro-business development and expansion for income-qualified individuals with a focus on lead paint safety training and certification. In partnership with the Vermont Housing Conservation Board (VHCB) State Lead Abatement program, the LeadSafe Initiative provides a variety of lead paint safety training, from Essential Maintenance Practices to Lead Abatement Certification.

The initiative offers supplemental and industry specific training in the areas of cleaning, consulting/inspecting, deconstructing, and lead abatement contracting.

The project also offers core business and "soft skills" training, intensive case management, access to capital, linking clients with mentors, securing job contracts, and referring client to other community resources. The overall project goal of LeadSafe is to create 55 jobs for low-income people in Central Vermont, through self-employment, with an average wage of $12.50 in the first year of operation and access to quality health care and childcare.

For more information about this study or to request additional copies of this report, please contact Michele Cranwell Schmidt, Evaluation Coordinator, at mschmidt@uvm.edu, call (802) 656-0256 or visit www.uvm.edu/crs/.