What Happened?
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has recently announced awards for three grant categories to support a wide variety of housing and economic development initiatives across the country.
Section 811 Project Rental Assistance (PRA)
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently announced $150 million in federal grants to local organizations providing permanent homes and services to low-income persons with disabilities. The goal of the grant program is to connect eligible populations with rental assistance to prevent unnecessary institutionalization.
The $150 million in HUD grants were awarded to 25 state housing agencies through the Section 811 Project Rental Assistance program, which provides persons with disabilities who earn less than 30 percent of their region’s median income to live in affordable housing. The state agencies will create affordable rental housing and supportive services to an estimated 4,600 households so low-income persons with disabilities can rejoin society and avoid institutionalization.
The program is a collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which helps equip low-income persons with disabilities with the tools and support services to live on their own and participate in the community. Providing permanent housing and social services help reduce burdens and create economic stability for long-term success.
Resident Opportunities and Self-Sufficiency – Service Coordinators (ROSS-SC)
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has also announced $36 million in grants have been awarded to public housing authorities and nonprofit organizations for the hiring and retraining of service coordinators. These service providers assist residences in achieving economic and housing independence, as well as provide elderly and people with disabilities with support services to maintain independent living.
Administered through the Resident Opportunities and Self-Sufficiency –Service Coordinators program, the funding will help public housing authorities and community-based organizations retain valuable service coordinators and improve delivery of services for at-risk populations. Service coordinators connect residents to:
- Education
- Job training
- Placement programs
- Computer and financial literacy services
The goal of the ROSS-SC program is to encourage collaboration between public and private organizations to reduce reliance on welfare assistance while improving housing self-sufficiency and economic independence.
Capital Fund Program
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development plans to invest $1.8 billion in Capital Fund programs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Capital Fund program provides annual funding to 3.100 public housing authorities for the construction, repair and modernization of public housing amenities. The funding is designed to support costly, large-scale improvements.
The 2011 HUD Capital Needs in Public Housing study found 1.1 million public housing units nationwide require $25.6 billion in repairs and renovations. These capital needs improvements are high-cost and extensive -such as replacing a roof or updating an electrical system – often costing more than is available in local government budgets.
To ensure federal funding continues to flow into local affordable housing projects, the Rental Assistance Demonstration initiative has been proposed. This strategy will monitor public demand for housing support to ensure public and private funding is made available for improvements and construction projects.
Related Stories
HUD Awards $3.2M to Six Cities