What is HUD and What Does it Do?

 

You’ve probably heard of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD. However, like many government programs and agencies, you may be unclear about what role it plays, and what actions it has the power to undertake. Let’s look at what HUD is, and what it can do for members of the American public. 

Provide and Subsidize Public Housing

HUD is a federal agency overseen by a cabinet-level Secretary. Its primary function is to provide housing to people who might otherwise go without, who are eligible under HUD screening criteria. This often comes in the form of housing projects, or public housing, but it also includes Section 8 subsidizing of rent for low-income individuals or families. 

Insure Mortgage Loans

HUD also oversees the Federal Housing Administration, which insures mortgage loans. In essence, a series of grants and loans, like the Ginnie Mae program, makes it possible for people on fixed incomes, or those with low earning ability, to make down payments and secure home loans. 

Monitor Public Education in At-Risk Neighborhoods

The “development” portion of HUD’s charter includes making sure that children in higher-risk neighborhoods receive adequate public education. This is done by monitoring and evaluating standardized test scores and other variables, for statistical purposes and to determine if any appropriate actions or interventions need to be taken. 

Homelessness Relief

While many social services help to alleviate homelessness in major U.S. cities, HUD serves a unique role in helping place homeless people in housing. They oversee several programs from emergency placements to education, rehabilitation, and subsidization efforts that can help get people “off the streets” and onto a better path.

Poverty and homelessness are major issues in America. HUD’s goal is to work to make them less dominant, giving millions of citizens hope and the ability to have safe, secure housing.

3 Most Valuable Items To Sell at a Convenience Store

                

Convenience stores may not be as extensive as supermarkets and larger shops, but they provide essentials to travelers who need them. The operators think carefully about stocking the most valuable and useful articles to attract these specific clients. The following items are some of the most popular products that successful convenience stores often sell.   

1. Fresh Food

Because most convenience stores are located by gas stations or tourist-friendly destinations, many clients are travelers who have not stopped for rest and food. They may also be in too much of a hurry to wait for something to eat. Most stores have small kitchens where they prepare simple portable snacks such as pizza slices, fries and sandwiches. They also assemble cold foods, including salads and wraps, and place them in cool displays. Grateful travelers can just grab these coveted meals and enjoy them on the go. 

2. Beverages and Alcohol

Drinks are easier to transport and consume than food, so they are also a priority for consumers. They may want juice or soda to accompany their meal or need coffee to survive a long workday. Shop owners keep a supply of bottled and canned beverages, vending items and coffee makers filled with Michigan locally roasted coffee. Sometimes they also provide beer and liquor for those who do not want to travel far for alcohol. Employees must ask for proper identification before the purchase is processed. 

3. Car Supplies 

Drivers do not always have the time and resources to go to a dedicated auto parts store for a simple accessory. In addition to gas and car wash services, many convenience stores help customers out with affordable and accessible automobile supplies. Many of these items, such as pressure gauges, lubricants and jumper cables, are essential for people who need to perform speedy, on-the-spot car maintenance. 

Just like every business, convenience stores provide useful products and services to thrive. Smart operators sell these high-demand items to fully satisfy their customers. 

5 Ideas To Keep Your Kids Happy On Car Journeys

 

pexels

Let’s face it car journeys with the kids can sometimes be a bit of a nightmare! If you don’t keep your kids happy and entertained in the car, they’ll quickly distract you and cause a scene! Thankfully you’ve got plenty of options to keep them happy and relaxed on car rides. Why not give these five a try on your next family car trip?

1 . Watch a movie

Before you head off on your next car ride with your children, download a movie on your Ipad. A fun kids' movie will have your little ones glued to the screen so that you are free to focus on the roads. To make things a bit more fun, provide popcorn and choose a movie with plenty of sing-a-long songs! When the movie is over you can always let your children play on some apps for kids.

Securing Your Family’s Financial Future

There’s a lot of things we need if we’re going to be happy and thriving as a family. We’ll need everyone to be healthy, we’ll need strong communication, and, yes, we’ll need to ensure the family’s finances are in order. This may not be the most exciting thing in the world, sure, but it is important -- after all, having a healthy financial landscape will provide the platform that allows you and your loved ones to lead the best life possible. 

Having a sound financial future isn’t easy, necessarily, but it’s not impossible either. In this blog, we’ll look at a few useful tips that’ll push you in the right direction.

Pexels - CC0 Licence

Job Security

Everything might be all well and good right now, but what about the future? It’s worthwhile taking a second look at your job security, because it’s possible that your position isn’t quite as secure as you thought it was. The next decade is going to see drastic changes in the workplace. The rise of automation and AI will cut around 40% of positions, it is estimated. There’s not much you can do to prevent that, but you can at least ensure that you’re not taken by surprise.

Invest In Yourself

And what do you do if you think your job might be at risk? You can invest in yourself. Sometimes, you can have to spend more to make money. Taking courses that’ll allow you to apply for the better-paying jobs is one of the best moves you can make, even if your job isn’t under threat. Studies have shown that there’s a strong correlation between a person’s level of education and the amount of money they earn. You could study for a master’s degree, or simply top-up with a course. If your job is under threat, then you could even retrain for an entirely new career. Don’t forget: you’re never too old to do something new. 

Get What’s yours

There’s a lot of money out there in the world, and one of the best ways to secure your family’s financial future is to simply get what’s rightfully yours. Are you leaving money on the table somewhere? If you’ve been involved in an accident, then personal injury attorneys can ensure you get compensation. Or it could be that you haven’t received a salary increase in years, in which case, isn’t it about time that you speak to your boss? There could also be tax breaks and other benefits that you’re not making the most of, either.

Investing

While it’s important to save money, it’s important that you’re not just leaving your money sitting in the bank all the time. You can put your money to work. What about investing, for example? This is a way to get your money to increase over time. Of course, this isn’t something that you should just jump into. Things may go wrong if you do that. Read up on what you’re investing in, or put it in the hands of an auto investor service.

Putting Your Academic Foot First

https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-wearing-brown-shirt-carrying-black-leather-bag-on-front-of-library-books-1106468/

In the past, it was possible to leave school at the age of sixteen and get a job straight away and work your way up the career ladder. However, nowadays this is extremely unlikely and you will find it very rare to come across someone who is able to gain a credible career this way. In this current day and age, it is essential to put your academic foot first and get a university degree.

Of course, there are some careers whereby you can graduate from school - whether a physical school or one of the online high schools - and walk straight into a trainee position. It does really depend on what career you want to have.

However, it is worth considering the current economic climate. Because of the recession, a lot of people have been made redundant and jobs are extremely hard to come by. Therefore, you need to make sure you have something that makes you stand out from other individuals and a university degree is just that. In fact, when it comes to most jobs you will not even be considered for the role if you do not have some sort of further education in your locker. 

A university degree in any field will give you a great platform to further yourself in life and get a great job and obviously consequently earn money. In this day and age it really is the only way to go, so put your academic foot first and better yourself for the future. 

Keeping your options open at university

If you want to further your education but you are not one hundred per cent sure what you want to do in the future this is not necessarily a big problem and it should by no means deter you from applying and going to college or university.

You need to research and think about what you can really see yourself doing, instead of trying to pick a job for the future, you should rule out jobs that you certainly can not see yourself doing. This will eliminate any options that are one hundred per cent not suited to you. Once you have done so you can then take into careful consideration all of the options left.

Obviously the chances are that you will not be left with just one course you want to study because if this was the case you would not have had the problem deciding in the first place. Instead, you will probably have a few potential options. Now what you should do is try to find a course that entails as many aspects of the choices you have picked as possible. For example, if you have decided you like the idea of advertising, but you also like the possibility of managing events, and perhaps even public relations, then the best option for you would probably be a business-related course that allows you to specialise in something later on. This gives you time to think about what you really want whilst acquiring other key skills.