Dale Gray,
Public Affairs Office 400 State Ave., Kansas City, KS 66101-2406 Phone: (913) 551-5542 |
For
Release Friday October 24, 2003 |
MARTINEZ ANNOUNCES $593,937 IN GRANTS TO HELP MISSOURI FAMILIES
Funding Aimed at Making Families Employable, Self-Sufficient
KANSAS CITY, KS
- Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez announced $593,937 in grants
today
to 12 housing authorities in Missouri that will be used for job training
and placement for low-income citizens.
"This funding will help hundreds
of citizens in Missouri find employment and eventually become economically independent,"
said HUD Secretary Mel Martinez. "HUD is committed to revitalizing communities
through job
advocacy, training programs and economic development."
A total of 771 housing authorities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico will receive $47,688,000 in HUD Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program grants.
The following housing authorities in Missouri will receive funding:
Housing Authority of Kansas City | $104,461 |
Housing Authority of St. Louis County | $36,479 |
Housing Authority of the City of St. Charles | $81,649 |
Housing Authority of the City of Springfield | $25,271 |
St. Claire County Housing Authority | $68,656 |
Lincoln County Housing Authority | $60,633 |
St. Francois County Housing Authority | $26,765 |
Franklin County Housing Authority | $40,500 |
Phelps County Housing Authority | $50,863 |
Housing Authority of the City of Liberty | $41,935 |
Ripley County Public Housing Agency | $32,255 |
Jasper County Public Housing Authority | $24,470 |
State total: | $593,937 |
HUD's Housing Choice Voucher Family Self-Sufficiency (HCV/FSS) Program provides funds to public housing agencies specifically for the employment of family self-sufficiency coordinators. The FSS coordinators assist adults with job training, childcare, counseling, transportation and job placement programs.
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.
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