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What is Section 3?
The City of Mobile's Community and Housing Development Department partners with small businesses for building and renovation projects. If you are a resident of public housing, receive public assistance, or if you are a small business owner, you may be eligible to participate in City housing contracts through Section 3 certification.
Section 3 certification can help you access new contracts and job opportunities. It’s a great way to grow your business, find a new job, and give back to the community. If you are interested, click below to learn more about the program and get started on our online certification.
Section 3 certification is a great way to grow your business, access city contracts, and find qualified employees and subcontractors.
Section 3 certification can help you get connected with employers and get access to workforce training opportunities.
Why should small businesses participate in Section 3?
Programs like Section 3 can be beneficial not just for your individual business but for the local economy as well. The Section 3 program requires that businesses that win certain HUD contracts hire and train low-income residents in connection with projects in their own neighborhoods to the extent possible. A small business owner who participates in the Section 3 program will not only grow their own business, but will also provide opportunities to members of their own community.
The Section 3 program has allowed small business owners like Rashawn Figures, a general contractor, to expand his business through building and renovation programs for the City of Mobile. And the opportunity to hire members of his community is an added benefit, he says. Figures hired a Section 3-qualified employee for a housing project that eventually became a long-term business relationship. “He showed up every day, he got a great wage, and he’s worked with us since,” Figures says. And the extra opportunities of Section 3 extend to the business owners themselves. “Section 3 offered disadvantaged businesses a place at the table, and showed us how to do business with the public sector,” says Marshall, a construction contractor in Mobile. Building your business and strengthening your relationship to your community are both great reasons to get Section 3 certified, and the centralized WorkWith platform makes that process easier than ever before.