December 7, 2015

SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE MORE THAN $2.3 MILLION IN HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT FUNDS FOR THE CAPITAL REGION

16 Municipalities and Housing Authorities in Capital Region Will Receive HUD Family Self Sufficiency Program Funds

Funds Will Be Used To Support Housing & Job Training Programs For Those in Need

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $2,318,695 in federal funds for 16 municipalities and housing authorities in the Capital Region. These funds were allocated through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Family Self Sufficiency (FSS) program. The FSS program assists local social services agencies, community colleges, businesses and other local organizations in providing education and job training in order to help those participating in HUD’s housing voucher program and living in public housing gain marketable job skills.

“These federal funds from the Family Self-Sufficiency program will help 16 municipalities and housing agencies in the Capital Region provide the education and job training programs needed to help our most vulnerable gain the job skills needed to get back on their feet,” said Senator Schumer. “When we help job seekers gain education and marketable job skills we open up pathways to economic opportunity and help those in need to better provide for their families.”

“This federal investment through HUD is a lifeline for hundreds of families in the Capital Region,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Access to stable housing is essential for the health of our families and the economic strength of our communities. These federal dollars will help families get the resources they need so they can have a safe place to call home while gaining assistance in acquiring the necessary skills for securing a good-paying job.”

The following groups in the Capital Region received this HUD funding:

· New York State Housing Trust Fund Corp in Albany County will receive $1,224,755

· Albany Housing Authority 14-6003900 in Albany County will receive $206,360

· Amsterdam Housing Authority in Montgomery County will receive $101,435

· City of Schenectady’s Municipal Housing Authority in Schenectady County will receive $105,029

· Troy Housing Authority in Rensselaer County will receive $130,955

· Mechanicville Housing Authority in Saratoga County will receive $66,479

· Cohoes Housing Authority in Albany County will receive $34,500

· Gloversville Housing Authority in Fulton County will receive $74,199

· Town of Colonie in Albany County will receive $52,602

· Town of Guilderland in Albany County will receive $65,038

· City of Johnstown in Fulton County will receive $32,969

· Village of Scotia in Schenectady County will receive $28,779

· Town of Rotterdam in Schenectady County will receive $54,797

· Village of Fort Plain in Montgomery County will receive $65,938

· Village of Corinth in Saratoga County will receive $33,237

· Village of Ballston Spa in Saratoga County will receive $41,623

“This program allows both Housing Choice Voucher recipients and Public Housing residents to work toward family sufficiency,” said Steven T. Longo, the Executive Director of the Albany Housing Authority. “Many have reached to the stars and surpassed their goals, they have settled into living wage positions and often have succeeded in the American dream to become a homeowner. The invaluable advantage of this innovative HUD program is the ability to hire case managers who work intensely and one on one with program participants. It is definitely not a one size fits all path to self-sufficiency, case managers build relationships and trust that lead to unique individual plans that yield our high success rates.”

“The Family Self Sufficiency Program is an important program for families served by Housing Authorities in New York State. The Schenectady Housing Authority uses the grant to employ two coordinators that help low-income families obtain education, job training, counseling, and other forms of assistance to help them along the path to self-sufficiency. Our most recent grant leveraged $292,500 in self-sufficiency services from fifteen different community partners, who assisted ninety-two subsidized housing families with self-sufficiency services,” said Richard E. Homenick, Executive Director of the Schenectady Municipal Housing Authority. “Also, through a rent incentive in the form of an escrow account that grows as families' earnings increase, our current program families have achieved $91,500 in savings that are held in escrow. The funds are restricted for uses such as college tuition, a vehicle purchase for transportation to work, or for a down payment for a home purchase.”

“The goal of the FSS program is to increase the independence and earned income of the participant and to decrease the participant’s dependency on welfare assistance and rental subsidies,” said John Enzien, Housing Authority Director of the Mechanicsville Housing Authority. “FSS Programs effectively assist housing authorities in carrying out their mission by promoting opportunities for economic self-sufficiency.”

“The Section 8 Family Self Sufficiency program is a powerful tool that is used to energize resident’s so that they can succeed in today’s workforce,” said Charles Patricelli, Executive Director of the Cohoes Housing Authority. “The goal is to work with families to manage the many challenges associated with childcare, education and then employment so that the family will no longer need government assistance. The Cohoes Housing Authority has had several families achieve this goal. We are extremely grateful that our residents are awarded these opportunities and very proud to be part of their success.”

“This program is important because it creates self-sufficiency among the residents,” said Tim Mattice, Executive Director of the Gloversville Housing Authority. “It creates cohesiveness and stability in the community. It is key to many of our residents’ stability. These funds are beneficial and we are excited to receive them again next year.”

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