HUD ANNOUNCES $1.2 MILLION TO THREE LOUISIANA PROGRAMS - DOZENS OF YOUNG PEOPLE TO GET A NEW START IN LIFE
Three grants to Louisiana youth programs will create affordable housing

WASHINGTON - Approximately 80 low-income young people in Louisiana will return to school and begin new careers
in the homebuilding trades because of $1.2 million in grants announced today by Housing and Urban Development Assistant Secretary Steven Nesmith and Congressman Charles Boustany. Three grants to Louisiana programs will
help these young people graduate high school, train them for a future in the construction trades and will produce affordable homes for lower income families, many facing homelessness.

The Workforce Investment Board in Opelousas; Hope Center, Inc. in Gretna; and, Louisiana Technical College in Tallulah will each receive $400,000 grants from HUD. Nesmith and Boustany announced the grants during a news conference in Opelousas. The grants are part of more than $58 million in funding awarded nationwide through HUD's Youthbuild Program.

"I'm thrilled that HUD can play such an important role in helping these young people to earn their high school
diplomas while introducing them to high-demand skills that will ensure their economic futures," said Nesmith. "This
is a win-win program since these young people will be putting hammer-to-nail to produce more affordable housing
in their own communities."

"These grants are an investment in the future workforce of Louisiana and a commitment to the rebuilding of our state," said Boustany. "For 80 young men and women, the barriers of limited income and resources will be removed, and they will be given the opportunity to learn job skills to prepare them for a trade that can be a source of support for themselves and their families."

Young people who enroll in local Youthbuild programs lack high school diplomas and the job skills necessary to find meaningful employment. The funding announced today will help young men and women, ages 16-to-24, to receive their high school equivalency diplomas and provide them training in homebuilding skills that will qualify them for
careers in the building industry.

Program participants will receive on-the-job training in the building trades and help build and renovate homes that
are then sold at affordable prices to low- and very low-income persons as well as to homeless individuals and
families. In addition, these grants are anticipated to generate millions of additional dollars from other public and private sources.

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 as
well as enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet and espanol.hud.gov.

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NOTE:  The following Louisiana communities are awarded funding through HUD's Youthbuild Program:

The Workforce Investment Board will receive a Youthbuild grant in the amount of $400,000. The grant will enable Workforce Investment Board to train 20 at-risk youth and to rehabilitate eight (8) units of housing. Major partners include: Louisiana Technical College – Evangeline Campus, Acadiana Works, Inc., and SMILE Community Action Agency.

The Hope Center, Incorporated (HCI) will receive a Youthbuild grant in the amount of $400,000. The grant will enable HOPE Center, Inc. to train 20-25 at-risk youth and to construct one (1) house for a low-income family.
Major partners include: Louisiana Workforce Investment Board #11, Habitat for Humanity Jefferson Parish Housing Authority, Hope & Glory Church, Department of Education, Family Enrichment Development Institute, Gretna Community Center Association, and Martin Luther King Task Force.

The Louisiana Technical College will receive a Youthbuild grant in the amount of $400,000. The grant will enable Louisiana Technical College to train 36 at-risk youth and to construct two (2) houses. Major partners include:
Habitat for Humanity and Tallulah Housing Authority.