BOSTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded $243,000 to the Penobscot Indian Nation in Penobscot, Maine to help its public housing residents find jobs and achieve economic and housing independence. The funding will also link the elderly and people with disabilities with supportive services that allow them to maintain independent living and age-in-place. This funding is part of nearly $35 million HUD awarded across the U.S. today.

HUD's Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency - Service Coordinators Program (ROSS-SC) helps public housing authorities (PHAs), resident associations or non-profit organizations hire or retain "service coordinators" who work directly with residents to assess their needs and connect them with education, job training and placement programs and/or computer and financial literacy services available in their community to promote self-sufficiency. For an elderly or disabled resident, the service coordinator arranges supportive services that allow them to maintain their independence.

"This funding will help connect public housing residents in the Penobscot Indian Nation to jobs and opportunities that lead to self-sufficiency and improved quality of life," said HUD Regional Administrator Barbara Fields.

The purpose of HUD's ROSS-SC program is to encourage local, innovative strategies that link public housing assistance with public and private resources to enable participating families to increase earned income; reduce or eliminate the need for welfare assistance; and make progress toward achieving economic independence and housing self-sufficiency.

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HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.