The Departments of Justice and Housing and Urban Development to Award $1.75 Million to Help Justice-Involved Youth Find Jobs and Housing

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Juvenile Reentry Assistance Program Will Reduce Barriers to Housing, Jobs and Education

Washington, D.C. – (RealEstateRama) — In an effort to help young people involved in the justice system find jobs and housing, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced $1.75 million for Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) and nonprofit legal service organizations to address the challenges justice-involved individuals face when trying to find work and a place to call home.  The grantees are listed below.

Under the Juvenile Reentry Assistance Program (JRAP), funded through the department’s Second Chance Act funds, HUD and the Department of Justice are teaming up to help young Americans who’ve paid their debt to society rehabilitate and reintegrate back into their communities.  JRAP funding was awarded to Public Housing Agencies who have a partnership with a nonprofit legal service organization with experience providing legal services to juveniles.  Read local summaries of the grants.

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and HUD Secretary Julián Castro announced the funding during a news conference with local leaders in Philadelphia today.

“The future of our nation depends upon the future of our young people – including young people who have become involved with our justice system,” said Attorney General Lynch.  “By helping justice-involved youth find decent jobs and stable housing after they return home, these critical grants provide a foundation for a fresh start and offer a path towards productivity and purpose.  In the months ahead, the Department of Justice will continue helping justice-involved youth enrich their lives and improve our country.”

“Reconnecting young people who’ve paid their debt to society to decent jobs and housing allows them to turn the page and become active, productive members of their communities,” said Secretary Castro.  “These grants offer a helping hand to those who deserve a second chance so they have a real opportunity to reach their full potential.”

Having a juvenile or a criminal record can severely limit a person’s ability to seek higher education, find good employment or secure affordable housing.  Today, there are nearly 55,000 individuals under age 21 in juvenile justice facilities, and approximately 185,000 young adults aged 18 to 24 in state and federal prisons.  These collateral consequences create unnecessary barriers to economic opportunity and productivity.  President Obama and members of his Cabinet, via the Federal Interagency Reentry Council, continue to take impactful steps to ensure those exiting the justice system become productive, law-abiding citizens.  Today’s announcement is consistent with HUD’s recently released guidance on the application of Fair Housing Act Standards to the use of criminal records by providers of housing and real estate-related transactions, and the recent guidance for public housing authorities and owners of federally-assisted housing on excluding the use of arrest records in housing decisions.

To help alleviate collateral consequences associated with a juvenile or criminal record, JRAP assists young people up to age 24 residing in public housing, or who would be residing in public housing but for their record, by:

  • Expunging, sealing, and/or correcting juvenile or adult records; as permitted by state law;
  • Assisting targeted youth in mitigating/preventing collateral consequences such as reinstating revoked or suspended drivers’ licenses;
  • Counseling regarding legal rights and obligations in searching for employment;
  • Providing guidance for readmission to school; and
  • Creating or modifying child support orders and other family law services, and more.

# # #

HUD’s mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all.

More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet
at 
www.hud.gov and http://espanol.hud.gov.

You can also connect with HUD on social media and follow Secretary Castro on
Twitter[external link] and Facebook[external link] or sign up for news alerts on HUD’s Email List.

 

2016 Juvenile Re-entry Assistance Program Grants

 

State Recipient City Amount Partner

 

*Matched

  Amount

CA Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles  

Los Angeles

$100,000 Public

Counsel

 

$1,390,650

CT Housing Authority of the City of Hartford  

 

Hartford

$100,000 Center for Children’s

Advocacy,

Inc.

 

 

 

 

 

$25,000

IL Chicago Housing Authority  

 

 

Chicago

$100,000 Bluhm Legal

Clinic,

Northwestern

University

School of Law

 

 

 

 

 

 

$55,216

IL Housing  Authority of Cook County Chicago $100,000  

LAF

 

$25,000

IN The City of East Chicago Housing Authority  

East Chicago

$100,000 Indiana Legal

Services,Inc.

 

 

 

$172,000

LA Housing Authority of the City of Shreveport Shreveport $100,000 Legal Services

of North

Louisiana, Inc.

 

 

 

 

$109,811

LA Housing Authority of New Orleans New Orleans $100,000 Southeast

Louisiana Legal

Services

 

 

 

 

$240,463

MA Boston Housing Authority Boston $100,000 Greater Boston

Legal Services Inc.

 

 

 

$32,549

MO St. Louis Housing Authority St. Louis $100,000 St. Louis School of

Law Legal Clinic

 

 

 

$99,202

NJ Housing Authority of the City of Camden  

 

Camden

$53,464 Rutgers Law School

Reentry Clinic

 

 

 

$35,825

NY Syracuse Housing Authority Syracuse $100,000 Center for

Community

Alternatives

 

 

 

 

$58,744

NY New York City Housing Authority  

New York

$100,000 Youth Represent, Inc.       $88,412
NY Albany Housing Authority  

 

Albany

$100,000 Legal Aid Society

of Northeastern

New York

 

 

$81,000

OH Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority  

Cleveland

$100,000 Legal Aid Society

of Cleveland

 

 

 

$123,200

OH Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority  

Akron

$100,000 University of Akron

School of Law

 

 

 

$174,115

PA Philadelphia Housing Authority  

 

Philadelphia

$100,000 Community Legal

Services of

Philadelphia

 

 

$25,000

RI The Housing Authority of the City of Providence  

 

Providence

$100,000 Rhode Island Legal

Services, Inc.

 

 

 

$27,161

WI Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee  

 

Milwaukee

$100,000 Legal Action of

Wisconsin

 

 

 

$25,000

TOTAL:  $1,753,464    

Office of the Attorney General

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