Recovery Act Success Story in Erie, PA

Jobs, Housing Improvements and More!

Roberto Rodriquez pours a cement pad.

The Housing Authority of the City of Erie (HACE) is using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to create local jobs and improve housing quality and sustainability.

For example, consider the story of Norberto Rodriguez. Norberto, a HACE resident, had been unemployed for six months before federal Recovery Act funds created an employment opportunity with A.A. Samuels Sheet Metal Co. Norberto’s new employer is one of several contracting firms that have hired HACE residents to improve the energy efficiency of Housing Authority properties.

The creation of jobs for HACE residents and energy efficiency updates to HACE housing is a win-win situation, according to John Horan, Executive Director of the authority. "The federal stimulus funds are paying for energy efficient furnaces, underground electrical lines to ensure uninterrupted power to our tenants, and new energy-efficient doors to our homes," stated Horan.

Workers install underground lines

Besides Mr. Rodriguez’s new employer, three other contractors are employing HACE residents as they complete $4.6 million worth of renovation work made possible through HUD Recovery Act dollars. When asked about his new employment opportunity, Mr. Rodriguez said, "I am so happy to be working again. I have been treated with a lot of respect by the company I work for and by the Housing Authority. I am very grateful to both." For Rodriguez, the opportunity to re-enter the workforce and make a difference in his own community displays the true success of ARRA in the city of Erie.