WS Chronicle

Special to the Chronicle

The Housing Authority of Winston-Salem will celebrate the open house of its fourth Step-Up housing location, Camden Station, on Friday, Nov. 6.

Unlike traditional public housing guidelines, able-bodied adult participants in the People Achieving Their Highest (PATH) program who desire to live in the newly constructed or renovated Step-Up housing locations must work at least 30 hours per week. As participants step up and out and progress through the program, they truly progress toward attaining self sufficiency and the “American dream.”

The PATH program is a program recently implemented at the Housing Authority of Winston-Salem. The primary goal of PATH is to reduce or eliminate families’ need for public assistance. It is designed to provide guidance that promotes long-term self-reliance and economic stability through education, job training, job placement and in some cases, home ownership.

Within the PATH initiative, the Housing Authority provides modernized affordable housing (referred to as “Step-Up” housing), while community partners provide other supportive services and case management to help ensure participants’ success. These partners include but are not limited to educational institutions, workforce development organizations, and law enforcement.

As participants move up and out of the PATH program, it provides opportunities for the Housing Authority to assist other families in need.