HUD
BFO No. 02-13 Loren W. Cole (207) 945-0468 |
For
Release Friday October 4, 2002 |
MARTINEZ ANNOUNCES $341,344 IN GRANTS TO HELP MAINE FAMILIES
Bush Administration Funding Aimed At Revitalizing Communities
OCTOBER
4, 2002 - The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced
today $341,344 in grants to
seven housing authorities in Maine that
will be used for job training and placement for low-income citizens.
"This funding will help hundreds of citizens in Maine 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 Virgin Islands will receive $45.9 million in HUD Family
Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program grants.
The following housing authorities in Maine will receive funding:
Portland Housing Authority $49,300Bangor Housing Authority $33,879Housing Authority of the City of Westbrook $37,500Mount Desert Housing Authority $34,951City of Caribou $45,000Augusta Housing Authority $30,000Maine State Housing Authority $110,714State Total: $341,344
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 at www.hud.gov.
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