Offering Additional Housing Services to Residents
PERTH AMBOY — The City of Perth Amboy announces that the Puerto Rican Association for Human Development, Inc. (PRAHD) has received its certification as a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) agency.
The HUD certification allows for a multitude of additional housing related services to be made available to all Perth Amboy residents including those of Middlesex County. PRAHD will operate its Housing Center with three bi-lingual HUD certified counselors, who will attend to clients on a daily basis to assist them with pre and post purchase counseling, foreclosure assistance and prevention, general referrals and other related housing needs.
“This makes two HUD certified agencies in Perth Amboy. Our Office of Housing and Social Services directs residents to HUD certified locations for classes on homeownership. It’s not only for helping individuals or families struggling through housing difficulties, but also for workshops on homeownership preparation and how to maintain it. It’s proactive, not just reactive,” said Mayor Wilda Diaz.
This accreditation strengthens PRAHD’s existing programs and supports the City’s Office of Housing and Social Services efforts, to further assist the community with housing related matters, while guiding clients to specific resources and services.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to engage PRAHD in a new frontier of comprehensive human services that support the city’s efforts. PRAHD has been working to achieve its HUD certification for two years and finally our efforts have been rewarded. This accomplishment is a benefit to the agency increasing our capacity to provide enhanced services to the hundreds of clients in need of housing related services. The HUD certification will bolster the strength of our agency, the City of Perth Amboy and the County of Middlesex, as a whole,” said Maritza Rodriguez, Interim Executive Director of PRAHD.
ABOUT PRAHD
PRAHD, Inc. is located on 100 First Street in Perth Amboy, New Jersey and is open from 9:00 -5:00 p.m. during the business week of Monday to Friday. For additional hours and information, please contact Yvonne Lopez at: 732-442-1081 or visit www.prahd.org.
The agency operates 16 programs offering multiple services for more than 17,000 unduplicated clients annually throughout Middlesex, Essex, Union, Monmouth and Ocean counties.
PRAHD’s programs and services include: Pre-school, tutoring and after school programs, housing assistance programs (foreclosure and pre/post purchase counseling), summer recreation, HIV/AIDS educational services, substance abuse prevention, employment and training for senior citizens, transportation, language translation and interpretation, advocacy, home care for homebound and developmentally disabled individuals, youth work readiness program, diabetes program, blindness prevention program and numerous recreational, social, and cultural activities.
For additional information about the City of Perth Amboy, please visit: www.ci.perthamboy.nj.us.
news release
