SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE MORE THAN $245K IN FEDERAL HOUSING & URBAN DEVELOPMENT FUNDING FOR ITHACA HOUSING AUTHORITY TO SUPPORT SERVICES TO SENIORS
Funds Will Be Used To Support Case Management Services For Elderly Residents
U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $246,000 in federal funds to the Ithaca Housing Authority (IHA), located in Tompkins County. The funding was allocated through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency (ROSS) program. The funds will be used to help ensure the highest quality of life possible for 250 elderly residents in the town of Ithaca who are reliant on the IHA for their housing needs.
“This federal funding from HUD’s Self-Sufficiency program will help Ithaca’s at-need senior citizens and make sure the Ithaca Housing Authority can provide substantial services and programs to help those in need achieve financial independence and housing,” said Senator Schumer. “Resident organizations like the Ithaca Housing Authority have shown us time and time again what a difference they can make in the quality of life of tenants, especially the elderly who have already put in a lifetime of hard work and deserve to live free from the fear of homelessness.”
“These federal funds will help ensure that residents of public housing in Ithaca have access to the resources and support they need to live safe and productive lives,” said Senator Gillibrand. “The Ithaca Housing Authority provides important assistance to many families who are looking to empower themselves and become more financially independent, and we need to make sure that these programs are able to continue into the future. I will continue to urge my colleagues to support funding for public housing programs like this.”
“We are ecstatic and relieved to have been awarded the 2016 Resident Opportunity and Supportive Services (ROSS) grant which will cover three years of quality case manager services to our 250 elderly residents at Titus Towers. Our staff works diligently to ensure the wellbeing of our elderly residents and their ability to age-in-place with the highest quality of life,” said Brenda C. Westfall, Executive Director of the Ithaca Housing Authority. “A key component of the extraordinary level of IHA’s success in providing the best quality of life for our residents is the excellent work of our Service Coordinator to the Elderly and Disabled. Without this grant, the continuation of indispensable case management services to our most vulnerable population was in jeopardy. Now, we can breathe a sigh of relief that we will be able to offer these needed services for at least the next three years. The Ithaca Housing Authority is a high performing agency in all aspects of its operations, and this ROSS award further strengthens that commitment.”
The ROSS-SC program provides funding to assist Public Housing Agencies, resident associations, and nonprofit organizations in the hiring of Service Coordinators to coordinate supportive services and other activities designed to help public and Indian housing residents achieve economic and housing self-sufficiency.
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