ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) — For Juantisa Howard, home means more than having a roof over her head.

“When I think of home, I think of family, love. A place that I can actually raise my kids and something to call home,” Howard said.

Howard says the Albany Housing Authority gave her and her children a stable place to live while she worked toward having a home of their own.

“It gave me the opportunity to have a place that me and my kids can call our home until we actually got a home,” she said.

Now, a $1.6 million federal investment could help other public housing residents take their own steps toward greater stability.

The Albany Housing Authority is one of only 10 public housing agencies nationwide selected to receive a Fiscal Year 2025 Jobs Plus Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The nationally recognized Jobs Plus program is designed to help public housing residents increase their employment, earnings and financial independence through job placement, workforce development, education, career counseling, employer partnerships and financial counseling.

Dr. William Myles, CEO of the Albany and Lee County Housing Authorities, says the four-year program is designed to give residents multiple opportunities to improve their financial situation.

“We are excited to have a $1.6 million grant awarded to us by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and efforts of providing job opportunities, educational opportunities, and workforce training for the residents here in Albany, Georgia,” Myles said.

Myles says residents participating in the program could use the resources to find a job, gain a promotion or increase their income.

“We’re able to service our residents for four years, living in public housing, and offer them an opportunity to either get a job, gain a promotion, whatever the case may be, to help them earn more income,” Myles said.

For residents, the program could also provide an incentive to keep working toward financial independence.

Under the Jobs Plus earned income disregard, Myles says increased earnings for residents participating in the program would not immediately be counted toward their rent.

“Meaning as long as you’re in this program and you have economic gains, we would not count towards your rent,” Myles said. “So now you get to put money back to save towards the house or anything relative to that to help you get back on your feet or just get some gains, period, in your life.”

The program is also expected to offer wraparound services, including educational opportunities and expungement assistance, as well as opportunities for participating residents to work as community coaches.

“So not only will you get services, not only will you get an opportunity to be employed in the community, but we’re also offering those job opportunities for the residents that participate in this program as well,” Myles said.

Congressman Sanford Bishop says the investment comes at a critical time for Albany and Southwest Georgia, where affordable housing and employment opportunities remain major concerns.

“Housing is something that we need, something that Albany needs, and it goes hand-in-hand with employment,” Bishop said.

Bishop, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee and its Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee, said the program is designed to help public housing residents between the ages of 18 and 64 become more self-sufficient.

The goal, he said, is to create a culture of employment and opportunity while helping residents achieve greater financial stability.

Howard says the opportunities are there—but residents have to take advantage of them.

“There’s so many different opportunities out here for them to use,” Howard said. “And using that grant could possibly help them get out of situations that they’re already in.”

Myles says the ultimate goal is to see residents reach milestones that may once have seemed out of reach.

“At the end of this program, you’ll have some individuals that’s ready for the workforce, ready to go and buy a house, ready to do a lot of things in life,” Myles said.

The Albany Housing Authority expects to begin putting the program into place over the next two to three months. During the planning period, the agency will hire staff, establish program goals and expectations and work with a HUD representative who will serve as the program administrator.

For Howard, the hope is simple. “It is better days that will come,” she said.

And for Albany families, the $1.6 million investment represents an opportunity to move beyond simply having a place to live and toward having the resources to build a more stable future.

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