NRHA receives major federal grant

NRHA receives major federal grant to expand its successful Family Investment Center programs

NRHA receives major federal grant to expand its successful Family Investment Center programs; help residents of Young Terrance find and keep better paying jobs

In an effort to help low-income residents find higher paying jobs, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded nearly $3 million to the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority to help residents of Young Terrace increase their earned income and become self-sufficient.

HUD’s Jobs Plus Pilot Program supports work readiness and connects public housing residents with employment, education and financial empowerment services, a proven model to assist public housing residents find and keep better paying jobs.

“This critical funding will assist NRHA in expanding their successful Family Investment Center programs, where participants can access the services needed to overcome employment barriers, said Congressman Bobby Scott at the announcement.

NRHA’s Jobs Plus Initiative will improve opportunities and increase earned income for residents in the Young Terrace community of downtown Norfolk. This important investment from the federal government will help set Young Terrace residents on the path to self-sufficiency,” said Scott. “Like many communities throughout the commonwealth, Norfolk sees the importance of investment in our

The purpose of the Jobs Plus Pilot program is to develop locally-based, job-driven approaches to increase earnings and advance employment outcomes through work readiness, employer linkages, job placement, educational advancement technology skills, and financial literacy for residents of public housing.

The place-based Jobs Plus Pilot program addresses poverty among public housing residents by incentivizing and enabling employment through income disregards for working families, and a set of service designed to support work including employer linkages, job placement and counseling, education advancement and financial counseling. Ideally, these incentives will saturate the target development, building a culture of work and making working families the norm.

Of the 733 households in the Young Terrace community, 413 households have no earned income. Young Terrace has a 63 percent unemployment rate and is considered to have one of the hightest concetrations of poverty in the city of Norfolk and Virginia. The Jobs Plus Leadership Team envision Young terrace as a healthy community where working adults are the norm and residents have a sense of community ownership and pride.