HACM Hosts Orientation for Work Opportunities at Westlawn

July 1, 2011

MILWAUKEE - Nearly 60 people attended an orientation on June 30th at the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center for individuals interested in working on the Westlawn Neighborhood Revitalization construction site. The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM) and the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership (WRTP)/BIG STEP held the event to promote an effort to utilize the redevelopment to provide work opportunities for local, low-income individuals.

HACM has negotiated with contractors at Westlawn to hire low-income workers as part of its commitment to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s Section 3 program, which seeks to ensure that employment and other economic opportunities generated by certain HUD financial assistance shall, to the greatest extent feasible, and consistent with existing Federal, State and local laws and regulations, be directed to low- and very low income persons. The program particularly applies to those who are recipients of government assistance for housing, and to business concerns which provide economic opportunities to low- and very low-income persons. Section 3 is both race and gender neutral. The regulation is based on income-level and location, in this case the Milwaukee metropolitan area.

HACM has an aggressive effort in place to include Section 3 persons and businesses throughout the revitalization of Westlawn. The agency has created and is maintaining lists of Section 3 persons and businesses interested in working at Westlawn. These lists include more than 125 persons and 75 businesses. HACM is also working with WRTP/BIG STEP to prepare workers for opportunities at Westlawn and to build their capacity for family-supporting jobs after the revitalization work ends.

For more information about WRTP/BIG STEP, visit their website: www.wrtp.org.