HUD AWARDS FUNDING TO HELP LOW-INCOME FAMILIES IN MASSACHUSETTS GET JOB-TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT
Funding part of $47 million awarded nationwide

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded $2.1 million in funding to 26 agencies in Massachusetts to help low-income residents get job training, employment and homeownership counseling (see attached list of grant recipients and grant amounts).

"This funding helps move people from public assistance to self-sufficiency," said Taylor Caswell, HUD regional
director. "Gaining employment or finding a better job is the first step in economic independence that leads to
a world full of opportunities, including homeownership."

The funding, which is part of $47 million awarded nationwide, is from the HUD's Housing Choice Voucher Family
Self-Sufficiency (HCV/FSS) program that provides grants to public housing agencies (PHAs) to hire FSS program coordinators. FSS coordinators link adults in the HCV program, also known as Section 8, to local organizations that provide job training, childcare, counseling, transportation and job placement. PHAs can also hire homeownership coordinators to help families get homeownership counseling.

Participants in the HCV/FSS program sign a contract that stipulates the head of the household will get a job and
the family will no longer receive 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 completes its FSS contract, the family receives the escrow funds that it can use for any purpose, including a down payment on a
home, paying educational expenses, starting a business or paying back debts.

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. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet
and espanol.hud.gov.

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NOTE: For more information on how an agency will implement the grant, please call the agency. For more
information on HUD's Family Self Sufficiency Program, or other HUD programs, please call Kristine Foye at (617)
994-8218.

Family Self Sufficiency Grants Awarded to Agencies in Massachusetts