HUD No. 03-142 Brian Sullivan (202) 708-0685 ext. 7527 |
For
Release Tuesday December 23, 2003 |
HUD ANNOUNCES $54 MILLION TO TRAIN YOUNG PEOPLE AND EXPAND AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Thousands of at-risk youth will be trained in construction trades
WASHINGTON - Thousands of young people who have not completed or
who are at-risk of dropping out of high
school will get a second
chance to graduate while beginning a possible career in the construction
trades because
of nearly $54 million in grants announced today by
Housing and Urban Development Acting Secretary Alphonso Jackson.
The grants are part of HUD's Youthbuild Program to provide
job training, leadership skills and academic schooling to
an estimated
3,300 low-income young people. These grants
will also help build and rehabilitate more
than 1,700 affordable
housing units for lower income families.
"Youthbuild
grants help young people get back on the right track by not only
providing them the education they
need but the training they can
use for careers in homebuilding," said Jackson. "It's
a wonderful feeling to know
these young people discover the satisfaction
of a job well done and local communities get more affordable housing
in the process."
Young people who participate in these Youthbuild programs
experience difficulty finding good jobs because they lack high school
diplomas and necessary job skills. The grants announced today will
help these young men and women to receive high school equivalency
diplomas and provide training in homebuilding skills that will qualify
them for careers
in the building industry.
HUD's Youthbuild Program provides young people between the
ages of 16 and 24 with on-the-job training to acquire construction
skills by building and renovating single-family homes and multi-family
apartments. The homes are then sold at affordable prices to low-
and very low-income persons as well as homeless individuals and
families. In
addition, these grants are anticipated to generate
millions of additional dollars from other public and private sources.
Youthbuild grants totaling $437 million have been awarded since
1993.
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.
###