The Conyers Housing Authority is looking to get families back to work, with assistance from a U.S. Housing and Urban Development grant-funded program.

The Conyers Housing Authority, which was recently awarded $221,682, is one of five housing authorities in the state to receive funds for a Resident Opportunities and Self-Sufficiency program, also referred to as the Family Self-Sufficiency program.

The five-year voluntary program puts families in touch with services, non-profits, and organizations to assist them to become self-sufficient and able to move out of public housing and living on their own, said Conyers Housing Authority Director Gary Erwin.

"We are hoping to have a minimum of 25 families" signed up, he said.

The funds will be used for three years of the FSS Coordinator's salary and benefits totaling $185,682, $6,000 to for training for the FSS Coordinator, and $30,000 for program expenses for three years.

Program expenses include resident education, career, and financial training, according to Erwin.

The Housing Authority recently hired Toya Washington for the job of FSS Coordinator, said Erwin.

"The FSS Coordinator will work closely with families participating in the FSS Program in order to identify the families' basic needs, recommend training and services to meet their needs, help facilitate those services, and monitor the families' progress throughout their participation in the program," wrote Erwin in an email.

The majority of able-bodied adults living in the 290 Housing Authority apartments are employed, said Erwin. About less than 10 percent are unemployed, he estimated.

"I would say that's better than average in other housing authorities," said Erwin. From talking with other area housing authority personnel, the unemployment rate is more typically around 50 percent.

"I attribute that to our lease enforcement," he said. "The families that are not able to work, we require them to perform community service. Once we get them involved in community service, they tend to find a job real quick."

This is the first time the Conyers Housing Authority applied for the HUD grant.