HUD AWARDS OVER $1.4 MILLION TO PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITIES IN OREGON TO HELP FAMILIES GET JOB-TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT

PORTLAND, OR - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that public housing agencies (PHAs) 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. Fifteen PHAs in Oregon were awarded a total of $1,438,503.

* Central Oregon Regional Housing Authority has changed its name to Housing Works.

"This funding will give more low-income adults the opportunity to get job-training that will lead to meaningful employment," said HUD's Deputy Secretary Roy Bernardi. "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 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.

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.

EDITORS' NOTE: Contact your local public housing authority for local personal success stories.

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