Cleveland Lead Advocates for Safe Housing (CLASH) is a coalition of 9 community based organizations founded in 2017 with a singular mission: to make Cleveland lead safe. In a city where most homes were built before lead-based paint was banned for residential use, CLASH works primarily in low-income, Black and brown neighborhoods where children face disproportionate risk of lead poisoning. The coalition confronts a critical public health crisis, highlighted when a 2016 New York Times report revealed Cleveland children had twice the elevated blood lead levels compared to Flint, Michigan. CLASH mobilizes community advocacy through signature campaigns, public hearings, and direct pressure on housing authorities to protect vulnerable children from irreversible brain damage caused by lead exposure in their homes – demanding urgent action where there is no safe level of lead for developing children. To expand their impact, they’ve partnered with the EPA for community outreach, participated in over 30 community events, and sponsored four SoilSHOP events while continuing to spotlight racial and health inequities across the city.
Members of Cleveland Lead Advocates for Safe Housing (CLASH) delivered more than 10,000 signatures to City Hall today in order to get lead poisoning prevention legislation in front of City Council.
Led by coalition leaders Yvonka Hall and Spencer Wells, this self-funded, all-volunteer organization achieved a significant victory when their 2019 ballot initiative forced Cleveland City Council to pass the Lead Safe Certificate Ordinance, requiring landlords to prove their rental properties built before 1978 are safe from lead hazards. To protect tenants, especially children, from the dangers of lead poisoning, CLASH remains vigilant. Recently, they demanded comprehensive action when HUD investigations found Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority failed to report cases of children with elevated blood lead levels and improperly painted over hazardous surfaces. CLASH’s specific demands include testing all children in pre-1978 CMHA housing, mandating lead safety training for maintenance staff, accessing properties for educational resource fairs, and requiring all CMHA properties to register as lead-safe under the “Residents First” legislation. Presenting at health fairs throughout the state, pushing for the Mayor’s Executive Order requiring Lead Risk Assessments for certifications, and demanding full protections for all Clevelanders, CLASH continues the fight.
At top, Yvonka Hall, CLASH board president and co-founder of Cleveland Lead Safety Network, speaks at Lexington Bell Community Center to regional health educators on the prevalence and dangers of lead, May 16, 2025. Source: CLASH website