HUD MARKS 25 YEARS OF HELPING FAMILIES IN NEW JERSEY BECOME SELF-SUFFICIENT
HUD Awards New Jersey $1.7 Million to Help Low-Income Residents Receive Job Training and Employment

NEW JERSEY - Today, HUD marked the 25th anniversary year of the Family Self-Sufficiency Program (FSS) by awarding $1,703,901 to New Jersey to continue helping public housing residents and those participating in the Housing Choice Voucher Program to further their education and find good jobs (see list of New Jersey grantees below).

Twenty-five years ago this year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) launched the FSS program to help households living in subsidized housing to become self-sufficient.

"A necessary part of what we do is to help families move beyond HUD assistance by providing the tools they need to become self-sufficient," said HUD Secretary Ben Carson. "For 25 years, HUD and our local partners have been connecting residents to job training, childcare and other resources that expand their opportunities and lead them towards higher paying jobs and self-sufficiency."

"The Family Self-Sufficiency Program is a proven tool that provides tenants with the guidance and the time they need to transition into financial independence, the hallmark of the American dream," said Lynne Patton, HUD Regional Administrator for New York and New Jersey. "It transforms the lives of individuals and families committed to advancement, providing continued support to safeguard their success."

HUD's FSS Program helps local public housing authorities to hire Service Coordinators who work directly with residents to connect them with programs and services that already exist in the local community. The program encourages innovative strategies that link public housing and Housing Choice Voucher assistance with a broad spectrum of services, which enable participating families to find jobs, increase earned income, reduce or eliminate the need for rental and/or welfare assistance, and make progress toward achieving economic independence and housing self-sufficiency.

Participants in the program sign a five-year contract that requires the head of the household to obtain employment and no member of the household to be receiving certain types of public assistance at the end of the five-year term. Families in the FSS program have an interest-bearing escrow account established for them. The amount credited to the family's escrow account is based on increases in the family's earned income during the term of the FSS contract. If the family successfully completes its FSS contract, the family receives the escrow funds that it can use for any purpose, including improving credit scores, paying educational expenses, or making a down payment on a home.

During a 10-year period from 2007-2016, the average household income of someone who had gone through the FSS program nearly doubled from over $10,000 at the time of entry into the program to over $27,000 upon completion.

To learn more about the successes and accomplishments of the FSS program and how it has helped families across the country, read "25 Years of the Family Self-Sufficiency Program: Families Working, Families Prospering" (https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/fss/25-years/).

###

HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and https://espanol.hud.gov.

You can also connect with HUD on social media and follow Secretary Carson on Twitter and Facebook or sign up for news alerts on HUD's Email List.