The U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development gave the East Chicago Housing Authority $4 million Thursday to tear down a lead-contaminated public housing complex. But many area residents are worried by the plan.
The West Calumet Housing Complex in East Chicago, Ind. is the most contaminated section of a federal toxic waste cleanup site. Last spring, the city forced about a thousand residents to move out of the complex, a process that took nearly a year.
The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development now approved local plans to demolish the complex. But many former and nearby residents, such as Akeesha Daniels, are worried the demolition will cause lead- and arsenic- contaminated dust to spread as far as nearby Gary.
"I don't really know what I would like them to do with those buildings out there, but I don't think the people that they're going to hire — they've never dealt with this high amount of contaminants," Daniels says.
The city hasn't announced the name of a contractor for the project yet.
In a press release, HUD Secretary Ben Carson says, "This grant will allow leaders in East Chicago to move forward on a plan for a safer, healthier future."
The release also says it's "vital" to tear down the buildings quickly so the Environmental Protection Agency can clean the area.