HUD AWARDS $775,000 TO PROMOTE JOBS, SELF-SUFFICIENCY AND TO PROVIDE INDEPENDENT LIVING FOR PUBLIC HOUSING, HUD-ASSISTED, RESIDENTS IN OKLAHOMA
Muskogee, Shawnee Tulsa Receive Grants

OKLAHOMA CITY - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded grants totaling $774,859 to help public and assisted housing residents find employment and get needed services and to help the elderly and people with disabilities maintain independent living. The funding allows grantees to retain or hire "service coordinators" or case workers to work directly with these HUD-assisted families to connect them to the supportive services that meet their individual needs. The list of grantees and amounts follows.

The grants announced today are through three programs: the Public Housing-Family Self-Sufficiency Program (PH-FSS), Resident Opportunities and Self-Sufficiency-Service Coordinators Program (ROSS-SC) and the Multifamily Housing Service Coordinator Program (MHSC).

"Providing housing assistance alone is often not enough to help individuals increase their independence," said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. "The service coordinators funded through these programs open doors that help HUD-assisted families find jobs, access services and assist the elderly and disabled to continue living as independently as possible in their homes."

The PH-FSS program allows public housing authorities to hire or retain service coordinators who work directly with residents to assess their needs and connect them with education, job training and placement programs and/or computer and financial literacy services available in their community to promote self-sufficiency.

ROSS-SC grants can be awarded to public housing authorities, resident associations and non-profit organizations and are used for the same activities as PH-FSS grants. In addition, ROSS-SC grantees can also use their funding to help the elderly or persons with disabilities who live in public housing to maintain their independent lifestyle.

The Multifamily Housing Service Coordinator Program provides funding to owners of privately owned housing developments for the elderly and disabled who have contracts with HUD to house low-income individuals. These owners, or their management companies, hire or contract service coordinators with backgrounds in providing social services, especially to the elderly and people with disabilities, to assist their residents with special needs so they can continue living independently.

Nationally, HUD estimates that the funding announced today will allow the grantees to hire new employees, or retain the approximately 650 service coordinators who are currently working with HUD-assisted individuals.

Public housing residents who participate in the PH-FSS program sign a contract with the housing authority which outlines their responsibilities towards completion of training and employment objectives over a five-year period. For those families receiving welfare assistance, the housing authority must establish an interim goal that the participating family be independent from welfare assistance prior to the expiration of the contract. During their participation, residents may create an escrow account funded with their increasing income, which they may use in a variety of ways, including continuing their education or making major purchase.

HUD's PH-FSS program is a long-standing resource for increasing economic security and self-sufficiency among participants. HUD issued a new report earlier this year that evaluated the effectiveness of the FSS Program. Conducted from 2005 to 2009, the study shows the financial benefits are substantial for participants who remain and complete the program.

The MFSC program grants are awarded for an initial three-year period and cover such costs as salary, fringe benefits, quality assurance, training, office space, equipment, and other related administrative expenses. A report HUD released in 2009 noted that aging in place reduces rates of premature institutionalization for low-income elderly residents, thus reducing the costs borne by taxpayers.

The grantees in Oklahoma are:

PH-FSS and ROSS-SC

Multifamily Housing Service Coordinators Grant

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