Grant Supports East Chicago Housing Authority
The City of East Chicago Housing Authority has secured a grant from the U.S. Departments of Justice and Housing and Urban Development. The funding will support efforts to help youth involved in the criminal justice system find jobs, education and housing.
The city authority and its partner Indiana Legal Services Inc. received $100,000 from the 2016 Juvenile Re-entry Assistance Program. It helps unlock $172,000 in matching funding.
In all, the federal departments awarded $1.75 million to public housing authorities and nonprofit legal service organizations throughout the country.
The DOJ and HUD say nearly 55,000 individuals under the age of 21 are in juvenile justice facilities and some 185,000 young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 are in the state or federal prison system.
The program aims to help individuals up to the age of 24 with a criminal record, who are also in or seeking public housing:
- Get some public records expunged, sealed or corrected
- Reinstating revoked or suspended drivers’ licenses
- Receive counseling on legal rights and obligations with regard to a jobs search
- Provide guidance for readmission to school
- Create or modify child support orders and other family law services
You can connect to more about this year’s JRAP program recipients by clicking here.