Jefferson County Housing Authority Receives HUD Grant

WASHINGTON, DC– Today, Congressman Glenn 'GT' Thompson announced the Jefferson County Housing Authority (JCHA) as the recipient of a $135,749 Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency (ROSS) grant.

"The Jefferson County Housing Authority provides a critical service to the people who call the County home," said Rep. Thompson. "It is important that we enable our communities to assist residents who may have fallen on hard times. JCHA is well-deserving of this grant, and I'm confident that a service coordinator will help the organization give Jefferson County residents a hand up to self-sufficiency."

The funds will be used to hire staff that will work directly with tenants and prospective tenants to better meet their housing needs and provide additional resources and assistance when necessary.

"We couldn't be more excited or pleased to receive a ROSS Service Coordinator grant. We feel incredibly blessed and are looking forward to being able to provide much-needed services to our public housing tenants," said Sandra McGuire, JCHA Executive Director. "This is the first year we've applied for this grant and are excited to get started on getting a person in place for this position that will be a valuable resource to our tenants. The areas we hope to provide services include providing resources to our tenants to pursue self-sufficiency, healthier lifestyles and education and training possibilities. We're ready to get started!"

About HUD Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency Grants
This program works to promote the development of local strategies to coordinate the use of assistance under the Public Housing program with public and private resources, for supportive services and resident empowerment activities. These services should enable participating families to increase earned income, reduce or eliminate the need for welfare assistance, make progress toward achieving economic independence and housing self-sufficiency, or, in the case of elderly or disabled residents, help improve living conditions and enable residents to age-in-place.