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.