MARTINEZ ANNOUNCES $1,074,370 IN GRANTS TO HELP ILLINOIS FAMILIES
Bush Administration Funding Aimed At Revitalizing Communities

CHICAGO - The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today $1,074,370 in grants to eleven housing authorities in Illinois that will be used for job training and placement for low-income citizens.

"This funding will help hundreds of citizens in Illinois find employment and eventually become economically independent," said HUD Secretary Mel Martinez, who announced that 687 housing authorities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands will receive $45.9 million in HUD Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program grants.

The following housing authorities in Illinois will receive funding:

HUD's FSS Program provides funds to public housing agencies specifically for the employment of family self-
sufficiency coordinators. The FSS coordinators assist adults in job training, childcare, counseling, transportation
and job placement programs. Families who participate in the Housing Choice Voucher Program, formerly known as Section 8 are eligible to participate.

Participants in the job preparedness program, some of whom are on welfare, sign a contract that stipulates the
head of the household will get a job and the family will become self-sufficient within five years. While enrolled in
the program, as a family's income rises, a third of that income goes to an interest-bearing escrow account.

If a family fulfills the contract requiring employment and independence from welfare, they can use the escrow
account for down payment on a home purchase, starting a business, paying back debts and paying educational expenses. If a family fails to fulfill the contract, they do not get the funds in the escrow account and may be terminated from the FSS Program.

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

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