HUD selects Grinnell Housing Authority as part of new Moving to Work: Asset Building Demonstration cohort

Asset Building is a key component of Secretary Marcia L. Fudge’s Economic Justice agend

       HUD Regional Administrator Ulysses Clayborn and his regional leadership team visited Grinnell and met with Grinnell Housing Authority Executive Director, Susan Hiner, on Tuesday, Oct. 4 to celebrate Grinnell Housing being selected as one of 18 public housing authorities to join the MTW (Moving to Work) Demonstration Program. Pictured from left, Bruce Ladd, deputy regional administrator, Kansas City; Steve Eggleston, field office director, HUD – State of Iowa; Ulysses “Deke” Clayborn, regional administrator, Kansas City; Susan Hiner, Grinnell Housing Authority Executive Director and Grinnell City Manager, Russ Behrens. HUD’s Region VII covers Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska. Submitted photo

​      The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced recently that the Grinnell Housing Authority is one of 18 public housing authorities (PHAs) to be selected to join the MTW (Moving to Work) Demonstration Program.
      The announcement came on Tuesday, Sept. 27 when HUD announced the expansion of its Moving to Work (MTW) Demonstration Program to include a new Asset Building cohort of 18 public housing authorities (PHAs), which includes Grinnell.
    First authorized by Congress in 1996, MTW is a demonstration that provides PHAs the opportunity to redefine how they operate by giving them the flexibility to try “outside the box” ideas that address local community needs in innovative ways.
    HUD Regional Administrator Ulysses Clayborn and his regional leadership team visited Grinnell and met with Grinnell Housing Authority Executive Director, Susan Hiner, on Tuesday, Oct. 4 to celebrate this accomplishment. Under Hiner’s leadership, the GHA administers more than 160 HCVs (Housing Choice Vouchers) to area households, helping them access safe, sanitary and quality housing on the open market.
     “Meeting our community’s housing needs is a daily challenge but brings such a relief to the individuals and families when they receive a HCV,” noted Hiner, when asked about what being an MTW agency means to her. “In order to reduce the number of clients receiving vouchers it is important to work with them to break down barriers and achieve financial independence. The Moving to Work - Asset Building program for Poweshiek County will help people get an education, work with them to obtain employment, support them to understand financial responsibilities while improving their credit scores and see them accomplish independence as they move into their own homes.”
     With the addition of the 18 PHAs selected for this cohort, HUD will have added a total of 87 PHAs to the MTW Demonstration Program since January 2021. MTW PHAs are now in 40 states and the District of Columbia.
     This cohort is a key component of HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge’s economic justice agenda: Bridging the Wealth Gap. HUD will evaluate the asset building activities of these PHAs, especially their plans for encouraging the creation and growth of savings accounts and/or aims to build credit, through rent reporting, for assisted households. HUD will first call a community of practice of the selected agencies to discuss and develop these policies for implementation and evaluation.
     “What a tremendous day for the Grinnell Housing Authority. On behalf of our Office of Public and Indian Housing that works with you and your team on a daily basis, I want to say well-done,” said Regional Administrator Clayborn. “The work of this cohort and HUD’s economic justice agenda overall, is helping renters improve their credit scores, accessing bank accounts, and being able to save for the future. It is truly aimed at empowering you all to develop solutions that meet the specific needs of your community.”