HUD AWARDS $2.7 MILLION TO HELP PUBLIC HOUSING RESIDENTS IN GOLDSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA TO SECURE HIGHER PAYING JOBS
Jobs plus Pilot Program improves jobs, income and self-sufficiency

GOLDSBORO, NC - In an effort to help low-income residents find higher paying jobs, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Public and Indian Housing Lourdes M. Castro Ramirez, announced today the award of nearly $3 million to the City of Goldsboro Housing Authority to help residents increase their earned income and become self-sufficient. This award is part of the $24.3 million that was awarded nationally. HUD's Jobs Plus Pilot Program supports work readiness and connects public housing residents with employment, education and financial empowerment services--a proven model to assist public housing residents find and keep better paying jobs. Read more about the $24.3 million awarded in Job Plus grants.

"These grants will make a meaningful impact in the lives of public housing residents and their families byproviding a pathway towards self-sufficiency," said HUD Secretary Julián Castro. "As the Department of Opportunity, HUD is empowering public housing residents to improve their circumstances with new economic and educational tools they need to compete and succeed in the workplace."

"With this funding, the local public housing authority will be able to help more public housing residents find employment in today's job market so they can build a better tomorrow," said HUD SE Regional Administrator Ed Jennings, Jr.

HUD's Jobs Plus Pilot Program links the housing authority system with employment and training services, new rent rules that make work pay, and neighbor-to-neighbor outreaching--demonstrating how cross-agency partnerships make a difference in the economic prospects of public housing residents. These grants will employ several principles of the Administration's Job Driven training checklist (https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/docs/skills_report.pdf) to ensure that public housing residents are connected to a program that is using evidence-based practices that work for job seekers and employers.

The Jobs Plus Pilot Program capitalizes on a successful demonstration (www.mdrc.org/publication/jobs-plus-promising-strategy) that combines traditional employment, training and job placement services with a rent incentive and a place-based investment in building community support for work. The program model, which requires PHAs to partner with Department of Labor American Jobs Centers, promotes initiatives to improve employment and earnings outcomes, a critical element of self-sufficiency for all families. Targeting an entire development helps residents support each other through the process.

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HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and http://espanol.hud.gov.

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