JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Housing Authority has once again been awarded a shot in the arm in the form of funding for Family Self-Sufficiency Programs like Section 8 and public housing.
On Monday morning JHA announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) had awarded Jacksonville the competitive grant of $271,283 for 2017.
According to the JHA website, there are approximately 2,700 families in the Jacksonville area that participate in public housing. Each year, Jacksonville is required to apply for additional funding through a fairly regulated process with numerous rules and regulations that determine eligibility.
Despite the stark contrast between those in favor of public housing and those who see it as a burden on hard-earned tax dollars, the FSS mission statement is to help HUD-assisted families “increase their earned income and reduce their dependency on welfare assistance and rental subsidies.”
Jacksonville Housing Authority CEO Fred McKinnies praised the decision by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, commenting on how much of an impact the funding has had.
“This is great news for the Jacksonville Housing Authority and the families we serve,” McKinnies said. “The Family Self-Sufficiency program is a proven game-changer for many families here in Jacksonville.”
JHA announced on Monday that the HUD grant they were awarded will help provide “service coordination” for an additional 300 to 400 residents in the coming year.
The service coordinator’s job through the FSS program is to work with qualified families in helping them develop goals and a five-year plan that will ultimately get them out of public housing and into a stable, self-sustaining living environment.
Employment counseling, job training, homeownership counseling and job placement are just a few of the services that are offered through FSS programing.
According to JHA, program coordinators provided life and career skills case management services to 500 of its public housing residents last year.
