BOSTON – In an effort to help low-income residents in Massachusetts become self-sufficient, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded $1.3 million to four public housing authorities and one public housing resident association to hire or retain service coordinators to help residents find jobs, educational opportunities, and achieve economic and housing independence (see list below).
This funding is part of $34.8 million in funding being awarded nationally.
The funding, provided through HUD’s Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency – Service Coordinators Program (ROSS-SC) helps grantees hire or retain “service coordinators” who work directly with residents to assess their needs and connect them with education, job training and placement programs, and/or computer and financial literacy services available in their community to promote self-sufficiency.
“It’s part of our mission to help connect public housing residents to better, higher paying jobs and critical services as a means of helping them move beyond public assistance and toward self-sufficiency,” said HUD Secretary Ben Carson. “This funding gives our local partners resources they can use to help residents become economically independent and achieve the dreams they have for themselves and their children.”
“These service coordinator grants will help Massachusetts public housing residents connect to jobs and opportunities that lead to self-sufficiency and improved quality of life,” said David Tille, HUD New England Regional Administrator.
The purpose of HUD’s ROSS-SC program is to encourage innovative and locally driven strategies that link public housing assistance with public and private resources to enable HUD-assisted families to increase earned income; reduce or eliminate their need for welfare assistance; and promote economic independence and housing self-sufficiency.
These grants provide funding to hire and retain Service Coordinators who will assess the needs of residents of conventional Public Housing or Indian housing and coordinate available resources in the community to meet those needs. In addition, ROSS-SC grants help improve living conditions for seniors, enabling them to age-in-place.
Fiscal Year 2017 ROSS-Service Coordinator Grants
| STATE | GRANTEE NAME | AWARD AMOUNT | STATE TOTAL |
| Massachusetts | Fall River Housing Joint Tenant Council | $186,000 | |
| New Bedford Housing Authority | $423,762 | ||
| Norwood Housing Authority | $246,000 | ||
| Quincy Housing Authority | $246,000 | ||
| Falmouth Housing Authority | $246,000 | ||
| Massachusetts Total: | $1,347,762 |
