Family Self-Sufficiency
The Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program helps Section 8 rental assistance recipients become self-reliant. The program can help provide financial counseling, career counseling, resume writing assistance and interviewing skills. Successful life management and home ownership classes are also available through the program.
Housing Authority staff meet often with FSS participants to help identify and overcome self-sufficiency barriers. Barriers may include literacy challenges, the need for job skills, domestic violence, or emotional crises.
Eligibility
All Housing Choice Voucher holders (Section 8 rental assistance recipients) can apply for the Family Self-Sufficiency program. We have a limited number of FSS openings available. Since the Department of Housing and Urban Development plans not to renew this program, we anticipate no additional openings as participants graduate.
Program Goals and Incentives
An important program goal is for the participant to become completely self-sufficient. We may help with education, child care, transportation, and social issues to meet this challenge. Participants set and write goals with deadlines. To graduate from the program, participants need to seek and maintain employment, comply with all rental lease terms, and become free of welfare assistance within three to five years.
Participants on the FSS program enjoy significant financial incentives. Rental assistance recipients pay approximately 30 percent of their income toward rent. As income increases, their rent increases proportionately. For FSS participants, however, we accumulate and escrow rent increases.
When FSS participants meet all contractual responsibilities, we award them their escrow balance. Participants can use their escrow balance however they wish. Many participants have used the escrow balance as the down payment on a home.
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