She also said she suspects that there are certain landlords whose offenses are ignored by the city. It is difficult to substantiate the evidence, but Mowery believes that corruption has played a role in aggravating the problem. In addition, it is not uncommon for disgruntled tenants who have brought their complaints to their landlords to be evicted. Finally, Mowery said, the problem may stem from the city's lack of resources and unwillingness to direct available resources to the inner city. A lot of houses haven't been touched in 40 or 50 years.
Lead paint is the primary source of the dilemma.
Virtually every house in the Providence area was painted with lead-based paint before 1978, when the product was outlawed. Mowery said that approximately 80 to 90 percent of houses in Providence are still coated with the toxic substance. Lead paint that remains intact on surfaces is not a threat to residents. The substance only becomes dangerous when it begins to chip and flake off, giving inhabitants the opportunity to ingest the material. Small children are especially prone to lead poisoning, because they spend a large amount of time on the floor and tend to swallow nearly everything they can get their hands on.