New Orleans, LA (April 9, 2021) – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO) received an award of $478,500 for the Resident Opportunities and Self-Sufficiency (ROSS) grant. The three-year ROSS grant will provide funding for Service Coordinators who will link residents to resources that eliminate educational, health and employment barriers and lead them to economic self-sufficiency.
HUD awarded a total of $36.9 million to Public Housing Authorities (PHAs), public housing resident associations, Native American tribes, and nonprofit organizations across the nation to finance the hiring of 165 Service Coordinators. “We are excited to work with our local housing partners to help public housing residents find jobs and opportunities that will propel them forward,” said HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “The funding announced today will help residents reach their goals and dreams tomorrow.”
“The ROSS grant award provides a tremendous opportunity for us to strengthen resident services provided through expanded personnel, which will aid in the development of community partnerships and programs offered,” said HANO Executive Director Evette Hester. “We will use the ROSS initiative to equip HANO residents with additional tools, skills, and strategies to increase self-sufficiency, improve their overall quality of life, and create generational wealth.”
ROSS is a place-based program designed to assist residents of Public and Indian Housing make progress towards economic and housing self-sufficiency by removing educational, professional and health barriers. The program aims to address the areas of need at both the community and individual level. HANO is among three PHA’s in Louisiana awarded the ROSS grant, and plans to use this important resource serve more than 3,300 residents in multiple housing communities in New Orleans. For more information on HANO’s community supportive services, visit http://www.hano.org/Tenants/ClientServices.
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