Mobility Management, Transportation can be funded through HUD Family Self-Sufficiency Grants

Recently, the US Dept of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the availability of nearly $110 million to provide support for individuals to get better connected with education, job training and supportive services. This is being done through a set of family self-sufficiency grant announcements. While there may be some creative ways in which these funds can be used for the actual provision of transit services for some residents of HUD-related housing (I can imagine instances of purchasing transit passes or vouchers, for example), the primary transportation connection for these HUD grants would be for what transportation folks would call 'mobility management,' such as the hiring or retention of caseworkers and service coordinators who can link people with the appropriate organizations and providers of a number of services, specifically including transportation.

Specifically, HUD has released notices of funding availability, inviting grant applications for three programs: (a) Public and Indian Housing Family Self-Sufficiency, (b) Housing Choice Voucher Family Self-Sufficiency, and (c) Resident Opportunities and Self-Sufficiency. Public housing authorities are the only eligible applicants for most of these funds, although some other community-based housing-related organizations may be eligible to apply for the resident opportunities and self sufficiency grants.

Therefore, the best course of action for interested public transportation and mobility management stakeholders to pursue is to engage in a dialogue with local public housing authorities, and see about striking up partnerships or relationships that would fit the parameters of one or more of these funding opportunities.

• Housing Choice Voucher Family Self-Sufficiency grant applications are due to HUD by June 8, 2011.
• Public and Indian Housing Family Self-Sufficiency grant applications are due to HUD by June 29, 2011.
• Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency Service Coordinator grant applications are due to HUD by July 13, 2011.

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