December 17, 2015

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Announces $2.7M Federal Grant to Support Job Training and Affordable Housing

Oakland, CA – Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee announced that the Oakland Housing Authority (OHA) was awarded a $2.7 million Job Plus grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide employment and educational opportunities that improves the quality of life for West Oakland’s public housing residents.

“I am pleased that the Oakland Housing Authority has been selected to receive this highly competitive funding and I am proud to have supported their grant application,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. “Federal investments, such as this one, are critical to decreasing Oakland’s unemployment rates and helping families build pathways out of poverty.”

The Jobs Plus Pilot grant program was created to develop locally-based, job-driven approaches to increase earnings and advance employment outcomes through work readiness, employer linkages, job placement, educational advancement technology skills and financial literacy for residents of public housing.

With this funding, the Oakland Housing Authority will implement West Oakland Works (WOW), a place-based program targeting unemployed and underemployed West Oakland public housing residents.

In partnership with the Private Industry Council, OHA designed Skilled Training Employment Pathways (STEP) academies to provide job readiness training, wrap around services and certifications and skills-development options through partnerships with the Peralta Community College system.

“Linking public housing residents to these critical workforce services empowers them to take control of their lives and prepares them to succeed along with the rest of the East Bay,” said Congresswoman Lee. “I am pleased to know this great work is happening in our community and I will continue working to bring federal resources back to the East Bay to support this and other vital programs.

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Congresswoman Lee is a member of the Appropriations and Budget Committees, the Steering and Policy Committee, is a Senior Democratic Whip, former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and co-chair of the Progressive Caucus. She serves as chair of the Whip’s Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity.