BY LANCE GAITHER

lance.gaither@bluegrassnewsmedia.com

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded the Housing Authority to provide three years of funding for their Resident Services and Supportive Services Program, or ROSS.

“This is the second time receiving the grant,” said Housing Authority Executive Director Tim Kitts. “It allows us to walk with our residents and meet them where they are at to provide services. The biggest things are the community partners, they are what make it happen. We have some great organizations and partners out there that want to help. We couldn’t provide this program without them.”

The ROSS program provides services such as housing assistance, health fairs, and social activities for residents with disabilities or age 62 or older. Last year, the program assisted 492 residents.

“Our main goal is to make sure they have their basic needs met,” said Director of Resident and Community Services Gwen Campbell. “We make sure they have food, clothing for winter, access to healthcare or any other community services they need. We also work with our community partners to host empowerment activities. That might look like fall prevention workshops, bath safety, or diabetes awareness. The grant will help us continue those programs.”

Community partners for the program are the Boyle Extension Office, Bluegrass Community Action Partnership, SkillsU, Haven Care Pregnancy Resource Center, the Boyle County Health Department, Goodwill Industries, The Gladys Project, Nurture Net Counseling, University of Kentucky Healing Studies, and Passport Health.

The Housing Authority of Danville is looking for volunteers for a community garden project and volunteer drivers for food delivery. If you are interested in volunteering, you can contact Gwen Campbell at 859-324-5720.