KNX-PH-03-2008 |
For Release Friday March 7, 2008 |
HUD AWARDS NEARLY $500,000 TO AID KINGSPORT AREA SENIORS AND FAMILIES WHO LIVE IN PUBLIC HOUSING
Funding allows seniors, disabled to maintain independence, gives families access to education and training
KINGSPORT - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded more than $50 million in grants to assist senior
citizens, disabled individuals and families living in public housing across the U.S., Hawaii, and Puerto
Rico. HUD awarded
nearly $500,000 to the Kingsport Housing & Redevelopment Authority in grants to assist senior citizens, disabled individuals
and families living in public housing. HUD provided $250,000 to offer public housing residents greater access to education and
employment, and another $250,000 to help elderly and disabled public housing residents to live independently.
"This funding helps a wide range of people who live in public housing," said HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson. "It
gives
families the resources they need to get the education or training they need to find jobs. It also helps our
most vulnerable -
seniors and the disabled - with supportive services that allow them live on their own."
The funding is provided through HUD's Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency (ROSS) Program. ROSS grants are awarded to
public housing authorities (PHAs), resident organizations or non-profit organizations acting on behalf of residents to encourage
self-sufficiency among public housing residents. HUD awarded $33,395,701 to 105 grantees
in ROSS Family and Homeownership
grants, which links residents with supportive services, including education, job
and computer training and homeownership
counseling that put families on the track to self-sufficiency. Another 60 grantees received $16,651,799 in ROSS Elderly and
Persons with Disabilities, which links senior and disabled
residents with resources that permit them to live independently
longer, such as health and wellness programs, meal services and transportation to medical services.
PHAs can use the funding to hire project coordinators who assess resident needs then link them with appropriate services.
They also use it to provide families a full array of educational programs, and job readiness as they move along the spectrum
of self-sufficiency. So that residents can take advantage of the education and employment services, this funding also matches
residents to supportive services such as childcare and transportation. In
addition, ROSS funding can support after-school and
summer programs for youth living in public housing. In this
way, the program has the potential to serve the whole family.
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.
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See grantees:
Ross Elderly
Tennessee funding | ||
Kingsport Housing & Redevelopment Authority | $249,804 | |
State Subtotal: | $249,804 |
Tennessee funding | ||
Jackson Housing Authority | $320,000 | |
Kingsport Housing & Redevelopment Authority | $250,000 | |
Memphis Housing Authority | $350,000 | |
Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency | $500,000 | |
State Subtotal: | $1,420,000 |