The Jacksonville Housing Authority announced Feb. 19 it will receive a $2.3 million Jobs Plus grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The grant will support the authority’s job-training program at Southwind Villas, a public housing community at 8711 Newton Road on the Southside.
The Jobs Plus program helps to increase income and employment outcomes for public housing residents through training, incentives, skills training, financial literacy courses and job placement assistance.
“This award will allow us to take another step forward in our journey to become one of the premier housing authorities in the United States,” said authority Interim President and CEO Dwayne Alexander. “By combining employment training, community support and financial incentives for residents, we look forward to fostering a positive culture of work in Jacksonville.”
The authority is one of nine to receive the FY 2019 Jobs Plus grant.
A news release said 2,653 families use the authority’s services, which include public housing, programming and support services.