HUD gives Nevadans $700K for those on rental assistance

More than $700,000 in federal money is coming to Nevada to help families receiving rental assistance become self-sufficient.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced the grants for the Family Self-Sufficiency program on Thursday. The program helps recipients of housing choice vouchers obtain economic independence through education, job training and case management.

The Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority, which serves all of Clark County, received $612,000. The Reno Housing Authority received just under $100,000.

The grant amounts are identical to those the two housing authorities received last year.

“One of the most important things we can do as public servants is to help HUD-assisted families achieve their dreams,” HUD Secretary Ben Carson wrote in a statement. “Working with our local partners, HUD is connecting families to educational opportunities, job training, childcare and other resources that allow them to get higher paying jobs and, ultimately, become self-sufficient.”

Program participants sign a contract requiring their head of household to become employed within five years. The contract also stipulates that some types of public assistance will no longer be available to the entire household at the end of the five years.

The average household income of participants rose from $10,000 to $27,000 by the time they completed the program, according to HUD.

Editor’s note: The headline of this story has been corrected to clarify that HUD is not giving money for rental assistance.

Contact Michael Scott Davidson at sdavidson@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3861. Follow @davidsonlvrj on Twitter.