HUD AWARDS $47 MILLION IN GRANTS TO HELP FAMILIES ACROSS THE U.S. GET JOB-TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT
$645,213 will help Minnesota families become employable and self-
sufficient

CHICAGO - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that public housing agencies
in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico will receive $47,494,003 in funding to help low-income people get job training, employment and homeownership counseling.

"This funding will give more low-income adults the opportunity to get job-training that will lead to meaningful employment," said Deputy Secretary Roy A. Bernardi in making the national announcement. "Studies have shown
that this funding has been effective and successful at moving low-income families up the economic ladder."

The funding 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 (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.

Minnesota recipients awarded $645,213 in today's funding include:

"Because of this funding, individuals who receive HUD voucher assistance will also get job training or educational development to find employment or get a better job," said Joseph P. Galvan, HUD Regional Director, Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin). "Gaining employment or increasing one's potential to obtain a higher paying job is the first step in economic independence that leads to a world full of opportunities, including homeownership".

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.

Housing Choice Voucher/Family Self Sufficiency
Recipients by State 2006