Local News: Tennessee

HUD ANNOUNCES $700,000 TO GIVE 60 AT-RISK YOUNG PEOPLE CAREERS BUILDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Students to graduate and build homes for others facing homelessness

CHATTANOOGA - Young people who drop out of high school face a lifetime of underemployment and can be at higher risk of homelessness. However, many of these "at-risk"young people in Chattanooga are looking forward to graduation and careers in homebuilding because of $700,000 awarded by Housing and Urban Development Regional Director Bob Young to the Chattanooga Housing Authority. The announcement is part of $45.5 million in grants announced by HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson. (See chart below for TN grants and link to national grants)

The Youthbuild grant presented today will offer job training and leadership skills to an estimated 60 young people in Chattanooga, 104 in Tennessee, and 3,075 nationwide. Youthbuild grants will help these students, ages 16-to-24, to earn their high school diplomas and train them for a future in the construction trades while producing a total of 702 homes for lower income families, many facing homelessness.

Young said, "With a modest investment by HUD, we can help these young people graduate high school, start them on a new career path, and create more affordable homes for families who might otherwise be living on our streets."

This announcement marks a transition of the Youthbuild program from HUD to the Department of Labor. This transfer represents the fulfillment of a 2003 White House Task Force Report on Disadvantaged Youth and resulted in the passage of The Youthbuild Transfer Act, signed by President Bush in September.

HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development, and enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov. For more information about FHA products, please visit www.fha.gov.

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To obtain list of all YouthBuild grants go to HUD's website