Top city lawyer Patricia Cofrancesco says she signed off on Jackson-Brooks' loan. Reisine didn't know about the loan to Jackson-Brooks. Neither did the Board of Alderman. The city has enormous discretion over how they spend those funds. Alvarado, the LCI director, says that flexibility was a plus in Jackson-Brooks' case.
New Haven does have a separate fund for lead-paint removal.
But it's currently empty. Even though no one else got a loan because of lead-paint problems, HOME borrowers often use the money partly to abate lead, Alvarado says. In fact, LCI requires that they addressany potential lead problems at their properties. Brooks herself does not meet income guidelines for HOME loans, which are designed for low-income people. Alvarado says, and HUD's Reisine confirms, that most HOME borrowers receive even better terms.