Helping low-income residents increase their income and gain self-sufficiency is the goal of support services being offered to Wilmington residents by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development.
The newly designated HUD EnVision Center demonstration is at the Wilmington Housing Authority’s One Stop Shop at Crestview Apartments.
The EnVision Center offers assisted families support to become self-sufficient and open up limited available federal resources to others awaiting assistance.
HUD’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Director Joe DeFelice explains the EnVision Center’s main function.
"EnVision Centers are joint efforts to connect low income household with a variety of resources offering Pathways to Economic Opportunity and self-sufficiency,” said DeFelice. “The vision centers will typically be located on or near public housing developments that serve as centralized hubs that offer services in four areas."
Those four areas are Economic Empowerment, Educational Advancement, Health and Wellness, Character and Leadership.
But DeFelice notes the EnVision Center demonstration brings additional benefits to the state.
"The EnVision center demonstration is designed to increase collaboration across federal agencies, state and local partners, nonprofits and faith-based organizations and the private sector to offer services that respond to the unique needs of each community,” said DeFelice. “These EnVision Centers offer a more holistic housing approach by connecting HUD-assisted families with the tools they need to become self-sufficient."
Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzykci calls the EnVision Centers smart government.
"Government saying we're going to place our little one stop here so people are going to come here,” said Purzycki. “We're not only going to help them, we're going to tell them what's available to them. We're going to guide them in there effort to make a better life and if it is housing, if it is employment and it's every other face of well being this is what we have to do together."
HUD also gave the Wilmington Housing Authority a $142,000 Family Self-Sufficiency Program grant. The program enables local public housing authorities to connect with existing programs and services in the local community.
