The Housing Authority of Washington County (HAWC) is committed to helping residents of its public housing communities, Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) holders, and other qualified low-income persons residing in the Washington County attain their goals of self-sufficiency. HAWC supports these goals by promoting economic advancement resources.
Under Section 3 of the HUD Act of 1968, federal funds invested in housing and community development are to provide contracts, employment, training, and other economic opportunities to eligible individuals and businesses.
- Section 3 Workers: low- and very low-income persons who reside in Washington County
- Section 3 Business Concerns: businesses that employ such persons, mentioned above
Employment and training opportunities
HAWC assists eligible individuals in obtaining employment with the Housing Authority, businesses performing on HUD Section 3 covered contracts or projects, and local employers. An individual who is Section 3 Worker certified is placed on a registry and notified of employment and training opportunities. These may include professional, technical, construction, maintenance, and administrative work.
Family Self-Sufficiency webpage
Business opportunities
HAWC assists eligible businesses to obtain contracting opportunities on HUD Section 3 covered contracts and projects. To be eligible, the business has:
- At least 51 percent owned by low-income individuals that reside in Washington County; or
- Over 75 percent of the labor hours performed for the business over the prior three-month period are performed by low-income persons who reside in Washington County; or
- At least 51 percent owned and controlled by current public housing residents or residents who currently live in Section 8-assisted housing.
A business that is Section 3 Business Concern certified is placed on a registry and notified of contracting opportunities, business development workshops and conferences and referrals to businesses under Section 3 Contract Compliance. Contracting and/or subcontracting opportunities may include, but are not limited to, construction, professional services, and general services.
Contract compliance
Sub-recipients, developers, contractors and subcontractors on HAWC Section 3 covered contracts and projects must, "to the greatest extent feasible", make a documented effort to award contracts to qualified Section 3 Business Concerns and hire qualified Section 3 Workers. This is a Section 3 requirement and aims toward the HUD benchmarks.
For assistance in identifying certified Section 3 Residents and Section 3 Business Concerns, contact Anna Kuzmina, Section 3 Coordinator, at 503-846-4805 or email [email protected].
What is Section 3?
Section 3 is a federally mandated program and requires that "to the greatest extent feasible," businesses working on projects that receive certain financial assistance from HUD must make a good faith effort to train and hire Section 3 Workers and contract with Section 3 Business Concerns.
The program is implemented and regulated by Part 75 of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations (24 CFR 75). For more information on Section 3, visit https://www.hud.gov/section3.
Resources
For questions, contact the HAWC Section 3 Unit at 503-846-4805 or email [email protected].