Page 453 - FY 2025 Adopted Operating Budget and Business Plan
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                                          Support Youth and Families

                       Goal 2: Create an Environment that Enables our Residents to Flourish and Grow
                                             Objective 1: Implement Support Systems
                          Project                       Performance Measure(s)               Department(s)
             SYF   Family Self-Sufficiency Program   Increase the number of families participating  Housing
             2.1.1                              in the Family Self-Sufficiency Program
             Summary:

             The Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program is a
             voluntary component of the Housing Authority’s                  FSS New Enrolllment
             Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program.             16

             Households or individual enrolled in the FSS program    14
             work with their case manager to achieve established    12
             goals.  Their goals are unique to themselves, but
             often relate to savings, education, employment, and    10
             credit score.  HUD mandates 2 goals be completed    8
             to graduate; being off welfare and employed full
             time.                                              6

                                                                4
             Participants enter into a 5-year contract but can
             graduate early if they’ve achieved their goals.  A    2
             snapshot of their income is recorded as a baseline
             when they enter the program.  HCV participants pay    -
             30% of their income toward rent, and the housing        1st Qtr.  2nd Qtr.   3rd Qtr.   4th Qtr.
             voucher pays the balance. During their contract
                                                                                 Goal   Actual
             period, if their income increases, their share of rent
             also increases. As the housing authority’s portion of
             rent is reduced, that savings in rent is put in an
             escrow account to be held for the FSS participant.  If
             they graduate from the program, the escrow balance
             is given to the graduate with no restrictions on its
             use (however they are given guidance about paying
             off debt, increasing savings accounts, etc.).

             The FSS program was revamped in FY 2023 and
             rebranded to Assistance Plus.  Housing’s goal is to
             enroll 5 new FSS participants each quarter in FY 2024.

             Update:
             We enrolled 14 new participants into the FSS program
             during the final quarter of 2024.  We held a fall mixer in
             October to provide an opportunity for interested
             participants to hear about FSS and what we have to
             offer.  Over 20 households were in attendance and
             currently 7 have scheduled one-on-one interviews for
             intake.












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