Grand Forks Housing Authority to get technical assistance from HUD

Adam Kurtz, Grand Forks Herald
·2 min read

Feb. 26—The LaGrave Learning Center at the Grand Forks Housing Authority has been awarded technical assistance by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The assistance will revolve around improving programs offered by the learning center, as well as marketing and tracking client outcomes. Among others, the center offers a job training program, computer classes, youth programming and skill enhancement classes to residents of LaGrave Place, Continental Homes, Oak Manor, Cherry Heights, Homestead and others in the community, with the goal of helping people become economically self-reliant.

The assistance will be provided by Homebase, a national nonprofit, aimed at enhancing programmatic and outreach opportunities to assist clients with self-sufficiency.

"This is a tremendous milestone in the continued success of the Grand Forks Housing Authority," said Executive Director Terry Hanson. "This technical assistance builds upon our important collaboration with HUD. We look forward to working with Homebase to develop and implement plans that will address the most pressing needs of our community."

The technical assistance will focus on three areas:

— Program design: Increasing outreach and connection to community resources and other available federal resources, while expanding upon and integrating relevant services for residents.

— Program marketing: Building upon current marketing efforts by expanding the marketing of programs and services offered.

— Maximizing the use of data to track client outcomes and outputs.

The LaGrave Learning Center opened in the summer of 1995, and has served thousands of residents and community members with a broad spectrum of opportunities, including technology assistance, computer literacy, flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, licensure and certificate testing and after-school youth programming. The center is managed by the Grand Forks Housing Authority.

In 2018, the center was designated by HUD as an EnVision Center. The designation recognizes high-performing organizations that have centralized hubs of services, providing people with resources and support. It is one of 100 EnVision Centers in the nation.