FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 29, 2005

Contact:
Jennifer Jones, Media Relations Specialist
(512) 477-4488 x117
jenniferj@hacanet.org

HACA AWARDED $780K IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT GRANTS
Funding to provide greater access to computers, supportive services, self-sufficiency initiatives

WHAT: The last of the 2004 Resident Opportunities and Self-Sufficiency grants funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development have been awarded, earning the Housing Authority of the City of Austin $779,152.

“These grants are consistent with Austin’s Neighborhood Housing and Redevelopment Office’s Consolidated Plan,” Veronica Wood, HACA’s vice president of Community Development, said. “All the grants are geared on breaking the poverty cycle by providing services for both children and adults.”

The city of Austin’s 2000-2005 Consolidated Plan states that "very few affordable rental units are expected to be produced by the conventional housing market; public sector intervention with private sector support is critical if this need is to be addressed." HACA, a public agency not affiliated with city government, has adopted the same stance and works actively with community partners to serve as a catalyst for residents to become economically self-sufficient.

Through projects funded by the grants, HACA and community partners will be able to offer cost-effective job training and placement services as well as an enhanced drop-out prevention program to its public housing residents. An estimated 4,656 Austinites reside in the housing authority’s 19 public housing communities.

WHAT ELSE: The Housing Authority of the City of Austin is a public agency whose business is to ensure that safe, quality affordable housing opportunities exist for families of low income; break the poverty cycle by serving as a catalyst for our residents to become economically self-sufficient; create meaningful partnerships to maximize available community resources for our residents; and efficiently and effectively meet federal, state and local mandates. For more information, please visit www.hacanet.org.