LOS ANGELES – The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) was awarded a $3.7 Million Jobs Plus Initiative (JPI) grant by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The award was announced by Dr. Ben Carson, Secretary of HUD, during a press conference held at Nickerson Gardens, HACLA’s largest public housing site with 3,146 residents.
“HUD’s Jobs Plus Initiative connects public housing residents with employment, education and financial empowerment services and it is a proven model to help residents find and keep better-paying jobs,” said Dr. Ben Carson.
HUD awarded a total of $10.6 million to four Public Housing Authorities (PHA) across the country, with HACLA being the maximum grant amount award recipient.
“Jobs Plus Initiative will provide crucial resources that will expand employment opportunities and upward mobility focused on the residents that live at Nickerson Gardens,” said Doug Guthrie, HACLA’s President and CEO.
“Jobs programs are not Democrat or Republican. They are just good for Watts. The residents of Watts deserve higher paying jobs and a path to self-sufficiency and this grant will help us get there,” said Joe Buscaino, Councilmember for the 15th district.
JPI will be a major component of HACLA’s Strategic Initiatives Division and its Workforce Development Unit (WDU), particularly the Watts/Los Angeles America’s Job Center of California. In his encouraging remarks, Dr. Carson cited the Employment Technology Center (computer lab) as an example of the valued resources already in place at Nickerson Gardens.
“HUD has entrusted us with a generous grant to build a Jobs Plus Initiative program that profoundly improves lives by helping Nickerson Gardens families achieve economic self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on government assistance,” said Pamela Paige, Workforce Development and Section 3 Manager.
Read HUD’s Press Release here