|
HUD
awards
$2.3 MIL
to help
low-income
in
Michigan
receive
job
training
and
employment
WASHINGTON
– The
U.S.
Department
of
Housing
and
Urban
Development
(HUD)
today
awarded
more
than
$2.3
million
to help
public
housing
and
Housing
Choice
Voucher
residents
throughout
Michigan
connect
with
local
services
to
improve
their
education
and
employment
and to
put them
on a
path to
self-sufficiency.
Read
more
about
the
local
impact
of the
grants
announced
today.
Funded
through
HUD’s
Family
Self-Sufficiency
Program
(FSS),
these
grants
allow
public
housing
agencies
(PHAs)
to work
with
social
service
agencies,
community
colleges,
businesses,
and
other
local
partners
to help
public
housing
residents
and
individuals
participating
in HUD’s
Housing
Choice
Voucher
Program
to
increase
their
education
or gain
marketable
skills
that
will
enable
them to
obtain
employment
and
advance
in their
current
work. In
2014,
Congress
combined
funding
for the
Public
Housing
FSS (PH
FSS) and
Housing
Choice
Voucher
FSS (HCV
FSS)
programs
into one
program
serving
both
populations.
As HUD
approaches
its 50th
anniversary
next
year,
HUD
Secretary
Julián
Castro
is
focused
on
advancing
policies
that
create
opportunities
for all
Americans,
including
helping
families
and
individuals
secure
quality
housing
by
connecting
housing
efforts
to
education
and job
opportunities.
“HUD
connects
folks to
opportunity,”
said
Castro.
“These
grants
will
link
people
to the
computer
access,
financial
literacy,
job
training,
childcare
and
other
tools
they
need to
compete
and
succeed
in the
workplace.
Every
American
deserves
access
to the
skills
and
resources
necessary
to
become
self-sufficient.”
HUD
Midwest
Regional
Administrator
Antonio
R. Riley
added
“Obtaining
new
skills
via the
Family
Self-Sufficiency
Program
will
empower
residents
to
maximize
opportunities
and live
to their
full
potential.”
HUD’s
FSS
Program
helps
local
public
housing
authorities
to hire
service
coordinators
who work
directly
with
residents
to
connect
them
with
programs
and
services
that
already
exist in
the
local
community.
These
Service
Coordinators
also
build
relationships
with the
network
of local
service
providers
so as to
more
effectively
serve
the
residents.
The
program
encourages
innovative
strategies
that
link
public
housing
and
Housing
Choice
Voucher
assistance
with
other
resources
to
enable
participating
families
to find
jobs,
increase
earned
income,
reduce
or
eliminate
the need
for
rental
and/or
welfare
assistance,
and make
progress
toward
achieving
economic
independence
and
housing
self-sufficiency.
Participants
in the
program
sign a
five-year
contract
that
requires
the head
of the
household
to
obtain
employment
and no
longer
receive
cash
welfare
assistance
at the
end of
the
five-year
term. As
the
family’s
income
rises, a
portion
of that
increased
income
is
deposited
in an
interest-bearing
escrow
account.
If the
family
successfully
completes
its FSS
contract,
the
family
receives
the
escrow
funds
that it
can use
for any
purpose,
including
improving
credit
scores,
paying
educational
expenses,
or a
down-payment
on a
home.
More
information
on the
FSS
program
can be
found
here.
The
Family
Self
Sufficiency
(FSS)
Program
is a
long-standing
resource
for
increasing
economic
security
and
self-sufficiency
among
participants.
HUD’s
Office
of
Policy
Development
and
Research
issued
Evaluation
of FSS
Program:
Prospective
Study in
2011
that
evaluated
the
effectiveness
of the
FSS
Program.
Conducted
from
2005 to
2009,
the
study
showed
that
financial
benefits
are
substantial
for
participants
who
remain
in and
complete
the
program.
An
earlier
study
found
that
individuals
who
participated
in the
FSS
program
fared
better
financially
than
those
who did
not
enroll
in the
program.
HUD is
currently
conducting
a
longitudinal
study on
the
program,
with the
first
set of
results
expected
in 2018.
HUD’s
mission
is to
create
strong,
sustainable,
inclusive
communities
and
quality
affordable
homes
for all.
HUD is
working
to
strengthen
the
housing
market
to
bolster
the
economy
and
protect
consumers;
meet the
need for
quality
affordable
rental
homes:
utilize
housing
as a
platform
for
improving
quality
of life;
build
inclusive
and
sustainable
communities
free
from
discrimination;
and
transform
the way
HUD does
business.
More
information
about
HUD and
its
programs
is
available
at
www.hud.gov
and
espanol.hud.gov.
You can
also
follow
HUD on
Twitter,
Facebook,
Instagram,
or sign
up for
news
alerts
on HUD’s
Email
List.
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