Awards will help bridge the wealth gap by connecting residents of public housing to employment and education
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded over $9 million to 4 Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) to help families increase their earned income and improve their economic mobility through the Jobs Plus program.
Jobs Plus grants support work readiness and connect public housing residents with employment, education, and financial empowerment services -part of an evidence-based model proven to help public housing residents find and keep jobs. Read more about how these PHAs will put their grant funds to work. This program also supports HUD’s Bridging the Wealth Gap agenda which pursues economic justice and asset building for renters.
“HUD is committed to lifting individuals and families up by focusing on the multifaceted issues around poverty,” said HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge, “Through training, employment, and financial and community support, we are setting people up to be successful for the long term. As we all know, upward mobility is crucial to a better quality of life and that’s what makes the Jobs Plus program so powerful. We are giving families what they need to be completely self-sufficient in every way.”
The approach of the Jobs Plus program is one that 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 requires PHAs to partner locally with Department of Labor Workforce Development Boards and American Jobs Centers. Additionally, Jobs Plus grantees are required to demonstrate a 25 percent match from community partners, providing wrap-around supportive services to improve employment and earnings outcomes. Cross-agency partnerships are essential to changing the economic prospects of public housing residents. The Jobs Plus program’s place-based model helps residents support each other through the process, cultivating a culture of work and enhancing economic resiliency.
Though the fundamentals of the program have not changed with this year’s funding cycle, the program has seen some welcomed changes. Many of the changes bring further clarification to key components of the program, but they also include the allowance of PHAs to meet eligibility with smaller populations of work-able adults than before. Program changes now also require that applicants meet with program leadership to discuss implementation, feasibility, and impact.
The following public housing authorities are receiving funding:
| State | Awardee | City | Grant Amount |
| Illinois | Housing Authority of the City of East St. Louis | East St. Louis | $2,299,999 |
| Georgia | Brunswick Housing Authority | Brunswick | $2,999,060 |
| Colorado | Housing Authority of the City and County of Denver | Denver | $1,600,000 |
| California | Housing Authority of the City of Oakland | Oakland | $2,300,000 |