Section 3 Resident Skills Assessment Program

SPHA maximized the contracting opportunities provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Capital Fund Recovery Grant (CFRG) to create an innovative Section 3 Resident Skills Assessment program. With one year of grant funding, the program 1) identified and provided training / certifications to residents to become job-ready; 2) connected them to employment opportunities, and 3) ensured that job-ready residents and Section 3 businesses were identified and made available to SPHA's contractors.

The program was very successful with Section 3 businesses receiving work and with residents receiving job training and finding permanent employment. In fact, over the course of the one-year program, 47 residents were assisted as part of the the Section 3 Resident Assessment program and 14 residents were placed in jobs.

Also, SPHA's Section 3 Resident Skills Assessment program was recognized with three prestigious awards from the housing industry. In August 2010, SPHA was honored to receive a Best Practices award from the Florida Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (FAHRO). In November 2010, Nan McKay and Associates (NMA) named SPHA as a recipient of the national 2010 NMA Excellence in Housing Award, which recognizes leaders in the assisted housing industry through agency performance, community outreach, and efforts to break new ground for the future of the industry. Finally, in July 2011, the the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) honored the program with its Award of Merit in Housing and Community Development. Click here to learn more about SPHA's awards.

Program Participant Success Stories:

Case Study #1:

After graduating from Pinellas Technical Education Centers-St. Petersburg in June 2009 with a certificate as a nursing assistant/home health aide, a public housing resident still experienced difficulties in obtaining stable employment. As a single mother, she had several issues that prevented her from finding a job with consistent hours and good pay. But, on February 25, 2010, Sylvia Wells Moore, SPHA’s Section 3 Case Manager, arrived at her door offering hope.

During the next several weeks, Ms. Moore worked with the resident to find her a position with a local health care agency that would meet her needs. The resident began working in home health care on May 23, 2010, and now is scheduled for 32 hours a week, Monday through Friday. She is thrilled with her new job.

This resident also is determined to take the steps needed to reach her long-term goal of becoming a radiology technician. She plans to take placement tests at Hillsborough Community College for their two-year radiology technician program, which will start January 2011, and to apply for a PELL Grant. Her daughter, who is five years old, will start kindergarten in the fall, and the resident is looking forward to starting school again right along with her!

Case Study #2:

In April 2010, Sylvia Wells Moore, SPHA’s Section 3 Case Manager, learned that one of SPHA’s contractors, Bay Glass and Windows, was interested in hiring a Section 3 resident for an ARRA project at Romayne Apartments. The company’s owner said that he had met a resident during a site visit who seemed interested in the work.

Ms. Moore immediately contacted the resident with information about the Section 3 program, and learned that he had been an air conditioning and heating mechanic, before a back injury in June 2009 kept him out of work. The resident was hired by Bay Glass and Windows for the duration of the Romayne project. In fact, the owner was so pleased with his work that he offered the resident continued employment!

Ms. Moore currently is working with him to find future employment in his previous line of work as an HVAC mechanic with contractors on other housing authority projects. While his back injury may keep him from lifting too much, this resident’s motivation to seek employment is unstoppable!