Vancouver – Vancouver Housing Authority was among 37 housing authorities in Washington, Alaska, Idaho and Oregon that received a combined total of $4,861,788 in Family Self Sufficiency grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Vancouver Housing Authority received $195,085, which will help residents of subsidized housing “pursue educational and employment opportunities that enable them to achieve economic self-sufficiency and, ultimately, no longer need rental assistance,” HUD said in a news release.
Secretary Ben Carson said this is the agency’s 25th year of “connecting residents to job training, child care and other resources that expand their opportunities and lead them toward higher-paying jobs.”
Family Self Sufficiency participants sign a five-year contract requiring the head of the household to secure employment and cease receiving public assistance when they complete the program. Families get escrow funds that can be used, for example, to improve credit scores, pay tuition or make a down payment on a home. A study found people who complete the program fare better financially than those who don’t enroll.
