HUD AWARDS FUNDING TO AID CONNECTICUT FAMILIES WHO LIVE IN PUBLIC HOUSING
Funding gives families access to education and training

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development this week awarded two grants in Connecticut to assist families living in public housing. HUD is awarding $348,223 to the Housing Authority of New Haven, and $250,000
to the Housing Authority of the City of Meriden to offer public housing residents greater access to education and employment. The grants are part of $33.3 million awarded nationwide.

The funding is provided through HUD's Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency (ROSS) Program.  ROSS grants are awarded competitively to public housing authorities (PHAs), resident organizations or non-profit organizations acting on behalf of residents to encourage self-sufficiency among public housing residents. The grants provide resources
to help link residents with supportive services, including education, job and computer training and homeownership counseling that put families on the track to self-sufficiency.

"This funding helps a wide range of people who live in public housing," said HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson. "It
gives families the resources they need to get the education or training they need to find jobs."

PHAs can use the funding to hire project coordinators who assess resident needs then link them with appropriate services. They also use it to provide families a full array of educational programs, and job readiness as they move along the spectrum of self-sufficiency. So that residents can take advantage of the education and employment services, this funding also matches residents to supportive services such as childcare and transportation. In
addition, ROSS funding can support after-school and summer programs for youth living in public housing.  In this
way, the program has the potential to serve the whole family.

HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development and enforces the nation's fair housing laws.

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NOTE: For more information on how the grants will be used, please contact the Housing Authority of New Haven
at (203) 498-8800, or the Housing Authority of the City of Meriden at (203) 235-0157. For more information on
the ROSS program, or other HUD programs and services, please contact Kristine Foye at (617) 994-8218.