The General Assembly finds that:
(1) (i) many residents of the State live in dwellings that do not conform to building, health, safety, fire, occupancy, or other codes and standards applicable to housing;
(ii) many communities or political subdivisions in the State do not have a minimum livability code; and
(iii) these conditions impede the development and maintenance of healthy, safe, and viable communities;
(2) private sector financing is often unavailable for rehabilitation because:
(i) owner–occupants of housing in need of rehabilitation often have low incomes; and
(ii) nonoccupant owners often incur high risks in owning and managing the housing;
(3) rehabilitating suitable housing:
(i) increases the economic life of the housing;
(ii) is often more economical and less disruptive than replacing the housing and relocating its occupants;
(iii) can better promote community development when it is done through organized housing rehabilitation programs;
(iv) is essential for sound community development; and
(v) can be helped by rehabilitating commercial buildings serving communities where housing rehabilitation is desirable;
(4) it is a proper public purpose for which public money may be spent and property acquired to:
(i) rehabilitate housing;
(ii) develop healthful, safe, and viable communities;
(iii) rehabilitate commercial buildings to help rehabilitate and develop housing; and
(iv) provide healthful and safe housing for migratory workers to maintain and expand the agricultural activities that are dependent on the labor of these workers; and
(5) it is a proper public purpose for which public money may be spent to:
(i) improve, modify, and add to housing to increase the supply of special housing for special populations, such as elderly households, individuals with disabilities, and other disadvantaged residents of the State;
(ii) prevent lead poisoning by modifying older housing to provide a lead–safe environment, as lead paint in older housing is a major source of lead poisoning in children;
(iii) provide adequate indoor plumbing, water supply, and sewage disposal systems for dwellings; and
(iv) reduce or eliminate radon and asbestos, which are major detriments to the health and safety of residents, on a pilot program basis.