Gina Rodriguez, (571) 249-8586
Gina.Rodriguez@HUD.gov
Jobs Plus grants to help families achieve financial self-sufficiency
MILWAUKEE, WI – To help low-income public housing residents increase their income and move toward self-sufficiency, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded $14 million to seven Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) including $2.3 million to the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee . HUD’s Jobs Plus Initiative connects public housing residents with employment, education and financial empowerment services—a proven model to help public housing residents find and keep better paying jobs. Read more about how these local housing agencies will put these funds to work.
In Milwaukee, the Jobs Plus Initiative will address unemployment and promote economic advancement of public housing residents by incentivizing employment and earnings increases through the earned income disregard for participating families, and by providing services designed to support work including: employer linkages, job placement and counseling, educational advancement and financial counseling. Providing employment related services, financial incentives so that residents have a Plan B ensuring they are “ahead of the game,” and a robust community support for work are all key components which will enrich the lives of the residents that HACM is committed to serve.
“Today, we make another important investment to help public housing residents increase their income and move along their path to self-sufficiency,” said Secretary Ben Carson. “When you combine housing assistance with services available through HUD’s Jobs Plus initiative, you create positive conditions in which families can become financially independent and realize their dreams.”
“The Jobs Plus Initiative program facilitates work readiness to help increase earnings and advancement opportunities,” said HUD Midwest Regional Administrator Joseph P. Galvan. “These services are based on three core components of the program: employment and training, financial incentives to increase earnings and community support creating a culture of work.”
“I am proud of the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee for its dedication and persistence when it comes to helping our community’s public housing residents improve their quality of life,” said Mayor Tom Barrett. “The Jobs Plus funding will connect many of Hillside Terrace’s residents to important resources that can assist them in overcoming some of the barriers they face in securing gainful employment, increasing their income, and moving toward self-sufficiency.”
“Thank you Dr. Ben Carson of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development,” said Tony Perez, Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM). “HACM’s pursuit of the Jobs Plus grant and its strategies of employment, training, financial incentive and community support for work speaks to our deliberate and persistent pursuit for ways to help our residents leverage their housing option and use it as a ‘launching pad’ toward achieving a modicum of self-help and self-sufficiency.”
Kentucky
Housing Authority of Covington
$2,203,270
Louisiana
Housing Authority of New Orleans
$2,300,000
Monroe Housing Authority
$2,299,918
Missouri
Independence Housing Authority
$2,300,000
Massachusetts
Lynn Housing Authority
$1,154,307
New Jersey
Housing Authority of the City of Camden
$1,700,000
Wisconsin
Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee
$2,300,000
TOTAL
$14,257,495
HUD’s Jobs Plus Initiative combines traditional employment, training and job placement services with a rent incentive and a place-based investment in building “community support for work.” The program addresses poverty among public housing residents and creates a culture of work and make working families the norm.
Jobs Plus services are tailored to residents’ individual needs and are drawn from a menu of on-site and referral services. For unemployed residents, case managers will help identify short and long-term employment goals and create plans to accomplish them. Employed individuals can work with case managers to take the necessary steps to advance in the labor market.
