One in five homes in suburban Cook County is covered in toxic lead paint, but many homeowners can't afford to remove it.

Many of the homes in the Calumet City neighborhood are more than 100 years old. Lead-based paint was banned for serious health reasons in 1978, but about two-thirds of homes built before then are still covered in it.

Homeowner Priscilla Sloan said her home was built in 1913, over 100 years old. 

Sloan had her growing family in mind when she bought her Calumet City home nearly 20 years ago. She now babysits for her seven grandchildren, including 8-month-old Eliana.

She had no idea that much of her home, including an entire stairwell, was covered in something that could harm them — toxic lead paint.

"You literally saw how the paint was chipping, so imagine if one of the grandkids would have came back here," she said.

Over the summer, Sloan's associate pastor urged her to reach out to the Cook County Department of Public Health for an inspection. Inspectors found it all over, including on 25 windows and several doors.

"Can you imagine the cost to replace 25 windows?" Sloan said. 

A cost, she said, is not in her budget. 

"It can leach out from the lower layers up until the surface layers and crumble, especially around windowsills and door frames," said Dr. Rachel Rubin, senior medical officer with the Cook County Department of Public Health. 

Dr. Rubin explained that when little bits of the paint are ingested or even inhaled, lead poisoning can have serious and lasting effects on a child's development.

"It can affect their IQ, it can affect their ability to pay attention in school," she said.

Sloan said she wouldn't have been able to afford the $25,000 price tag to remove it, but CCDPH came in and did it for free.

"We did have to move out. They paid for a shelter, though," Sloan said." My grandbabies are really safe now, I don't have to worry about anything in the future if they get a hold of lead. So, for me, I'm just so happy that it was taken care of."

Now, Dr. Rubin hopes more Cook County residents like Sloan who qualify for the Lead-Safe Cook County Program take advantage of it.

"We want to help you, right? We want to help you, we want to clean up the environment, we want to make our homes safe for families," Dr. Rubin said.

To qualify, homes must have been built before 1978, meet an income requirement of less than 120% of the Area Median Income, and have a child under the age of six who lives in or frequently visits the home.

To learn more about the program and apply, visit Lead-SafeCookCounty.com.