The Jacksonville Housing Authority has received more than $250,000 from the government to promote self-sufficiency of public housing residents.
At $271,283, that’s about $50,000 more than last year’s grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The money is to be used to help families complete a self-sufficiency program covering 20 different areas.
“We have (General Educational Development) classes, homeownership programs, adult literacy coaching, computer classes, job fairs resume building,” Jacksonville Housing Authority CEO Fred McKinnies said.
When families are enrolled in the self-sufficiency program they are allowed about five years to complete a goal.
McKinnies said families also often have their rent discounted, with the savings placed in a separate account intended for a home purchase, which gives families the means to move on from public housing.
“Normally they either move out to private landlords in the rental market or they go into first-time homeownership program,” McKinnies said.
And once a family moves into private housing, space is freed-up for the 13,000 families on the public housing wait list. The housing authority manages homes for about 3,000 families and oversees vouchers for about 7,000.
McKinnies said the housing authority has received the grant consistently for 15 years. It’s expected to cover 300 to 400 families next year, and the housing authority hopes additional funding will cover about 50 more.
He said to bridge the gap, the housing authority will use other federal funding for community development or if it comes down to it, use money from its operating budget.
