Vallejo Times-Herald - Vallejo Housing Authority gets $60,000-plus federal grant
By Staff
The expert hired to help Vallejo residents become self-sufficient will stay another year, as a new federal grant replaces an old one.
U.S. Rep Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, on Tuesday, announced $68,107 in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grants for the Vallejo Housing Authority. The funds come from HUD's Family Self-Sufficiency Program, and can only be used for that purpose, Vallejo Housing Authority Director Anne Putney said.
Funded though HUD's Family Self-Sufficiency program, these grants allow public housing agencies to work with social service agencies, community colleges, businesses and other local partners to help public housing residents and individuals participating in HUD's Housing Choice Voucher Program to increase their education or gain marketable skills that will enable them to obtain employment and advance in their current work, Thompson's office said.
"The Vallejo Housing Authority (VHA) is very pleased to be receiving $68,107 in funding for a Family Self-Sufficiency Coordinator," Putney said. "The FSS Program is an excellent opportunity for Housing Choice Voucher Program participants to obtain resources to overcome the obstacles they face in achieving their career goals and moving forward on the path towards self-sufficiency."
Thompson said these grants provide people with the skills and education they need to advance in the workforce.
"Everyone who works hard, and plays by the rules should have the opportunity get a job and save for a home of their own," he said. "HUD's Family Self-Sufficiency Program helps families do just that, and I am a proud supporter of these important funds."
In FY 2013-2014, the VHA had seven program graduates, and agency personnel look forward to even more graduations in the coming year, Putney said.
"The funding provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development enables us to continue providing these services and we could not do it without our HUD partner," she said.