HUD Awards Baltimore More Than $478K For Self-Sufficiency Program

BALTIMORE, MD — Baltimore has received nearly half a million dollars from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the agency announced Tuesday. The funding will go toward linking residents who live in public housing with programs that promote self-sufficiency.

The Housing Authority of Baltimore was awarded $478,315, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Funding will enable the housing authority to hire service coordinators who can connect residents living in public housing with vocational, educational, financial literacy and wellness programs.

"One of HUD’s key priorities is to help lead those we serve from assisted housing to economic independence," Joe DeFelice of HUD’s Mid-Atlantic region, said in a statement. "This funding gives Maryland public housing authorities the resources to work toward that end."

The grant comes through HUD’s Resident Opportunities and Self-Sufficiency - Service Coordinators program (ROSS-SC), which provides coordinators who provide case management to connect participants with community services that increase their income and reduce or eliminate their need for welfare assistance, according to a statement from HUD.

The federal agency reported that it was awarding $36 million to 137 housing authorities across the country to support these efforts, including nearly $1 million in Maryland.

Other agencies in the state receiving grants were the Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis, which was awarded $239,250; and the Glenarden Housing Authority in Prince George's County, which was granted $231,000.