Providence will receive $3.4 million in federal funding to ensure homes are free of lead-based paint.

U.S. Sen. Jack Reed and Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza announced the funding.

With help from Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat, the city secured funding from a Department of Housing and Urban Development grant program to expand the Lead Safe Providence Program, which coordinates lead hazard reduction activities.

Reed and Elorza say the money will help Providence perform 230 risk assessments for owners to identify lead hazards, make 200 homes lead-safe and reduce environmental health hazards at 140 homes.

They say hundreds of Providence children live in neighborhoods with deteriorating, aging homes.

Elorza, a Democrat, says children deserve safe, healthy housing without the risk of lead exposure and serious health concerns associated with lead paint.