WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., — The West Palm Beach Housing Authority (WPBHA) has been awarded the Resident Opportunities and Self-Sufficiency (ROSS) Family and Homeownership grant to assist families living in its public housing developments with greater access to education and employment services.
The $250,000 grant funded and awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will allow the West Palm Beach Housing Authority to re-open the Dunbar Village Career Development Center which was closed last year due to lack of funding.
“When we applied for funding to re-open the Center we were very aware of the highly competitive nature of HUD’s grant process which receives bids from across the country. The ROSS grant award validates all the hard work we put into our grant application and allows us to continue vital programs to help our public housing residents achieve economic self-sufficiency,” Laurel Robinson, Executive Director of the West Palm Beach Housing Authority said.
“The Center’s proximity to the Dunbar Village Child Care Center also helps our public housing residents to overcome two of their greatest obstacles to continuing education; lack of transportation and affording child care,” Robinson added.
The Dunbar Village Career Development Center is equipped with computers and Internet access. It will offer GED classes, Life Skills seminars, training in computer and online skills, literacy training, business development and entrepreneurial assistance as well as resume preparation, job placement and job search assistance.
More than 225 public housing residents transitioning from welfare to employment took advantage of its programs on their way to greater economic independence, before the Center was closed.
With a mission to provide those with limited financial resources access to safe, decent and affordable public housing and programs to assist in transition to greater financial security, the West Palm Beach Housing Authority owns and operates 712 units in five housing developments: Dunbar Village, Southridge, Pleasant City, Twin Lakes and Robinson Village.
More information about WPBHA and its programs is available at www.wpbha.org
Media Contact:
Mark Hopkinson
NewsMark Public Relations
mhopkinson@newsmarkpr.com 561-852-5767
