Lake County Housing Authority Receives Two Grants from HUD for Family Self-Sufficiency Programs

On Friday, September 21, 2012, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded $75 million in nationwide grants to help public and assisted housing residents connect with local services to obtain education and training to find jobs. The state of Illinois was awarded more than $2.8 million in grant funds for this purpose.

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan expressed how this “funding ultimately links individuals to childcare, computer access, job training and other basic skills individuals need to compete for jobs that pay a living wage.”

Of the nationwide funding announced, $15 million was allotted for use by the Public Housing Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program and $60 million was granted to the Housing Choice Voucher/Section 8 FSS Program. Both of these programs have been a part of the Lake County Housing Authority's arsenal of offerings available to the constituents of Lake County since the 1990s. These programs focus on encouraging innovative strategies to link public housing and Housing Choice Voucher/Section 8 assistance with other resources to allow participating families the chance to find employment, increase earned income, reduce or eliminate the need for rental and/or welfare assistance, and make progress toward achieving economic independence and housing self-sufficiency.

HUD's Midwest Regional Administrator, Antonio R. Riley, stated that “These grants are a win for both the grantees and Illinois families who participate in HUD rental assistance programs…The grantee can keep or can hire an employee whose job is to help hundreds of individuals here find employment.”

Specifically, the Lake County Housing Authority (LCHA) was awarded $102,374 for its Housing Choice Voucher/Section 8 FSS program and $69,000 for its Public Housing FSS program. LCHA Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, David A. Northern was very proud that LCHA was chosen to receive continued funding for these programs as “they truly take up the level of services available to the citizens of Lake County. It is LCHA's priority to reach further and extend the services offered to clients and this renewed funding allows us [LCHA] to continue two programs that greatly impact Lake County for the best. We are excited to see where 2013 can take our FSS programs.”

For more information on the Lake County Housing Authority and all its program offerings, please visit our website at www.lakecountyha.org