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More than 100 housing units in Portland will be analyzed for lead paint and other building hazards this year thanks to a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Portland’s Housing Bureau in collaboration with REACH Community Development and the Multnomah County Health Department will use the Healthy Homes Production Grant to perform environmental assessments and improvements on 175 rental housing units in Portland. The money will also be used to train workers in lead hazard abatement as well as for public outreach.

Rental housing in East Portland will be targeted for the project, the Housing Bureau said. A 2009 survey of 356 multi-family properties in Lents found 50 percent of properties had identifiable external repair needs.

The project is anticipated to begin in April. Owners of rental properties in East Portland should contact Andrea Matthiessen, the Housing Bureau’s neighborhood housing manager at 503-823-2379 to be considered for the program.

Portland’s grant was one of 51 grants totaling $127 million awarded nationally on Thursday under HUD’s Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Reduction grant programs.