FY 2021 Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS)

Overview.

The Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program supports the Department’s goal of increasing economic opportunity for HUD-assisted families. FSS provides grants to Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) to support the salaries of FSS Program Coordinators who assist participating families receiving housing assistance through the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV/PBV) and Public Housing (PH) programs. FSS Program Coordinators develop local strategies to connect participating families to public and private resources to increase their earned income and financial empowerment, reduce or eliminate the need for welfare assistance, and make progress toward economic independence and self-sufficiency. In the context of HUD's Self Sufficiency programs, “self-sufficiency” is defined as a household’s ability to maintain financial, housing, and personal/family stability. To achieve self-sufficiency, individuals in a household move along a continuum towards economic independence and stability; such movement is facilitated by the achievement of educational, professional, health/mental health, and financial empowerment-related goals. For the FSS program, self-sufficiency is further defined as a work-able family’s ability to maintain itself free from income-based public safety net programs such as TANF, SNAP, Medicaid and housing assistance.

PHAs execute a five-year Contract of Participation with each individual participating family that incorporates the responsibilities of each party, as well as an Individual Training and Services Plan (ITSP) to help the family become more self-sufficient. PHAs are not permitted to limit FSS participation to those families most likely to succeed.

Responsibilities of FSS Program Coordinators.

An FSS Program Coordinator must:

Build partnerships with employers and service providers in the community and work with the Program Coordinating Committee (PCC) and with such local service providers to ensure that FSS program participants are linked to the supportive services they need to achieve self-sufficiency, including services for participants with limited English proficiency. See Section I.A.4 of this NOFO ("Definitions") for the definition of PCC. For more information on Partnerships and Collaborations, see Notice PIH 2011-51, and for more information on partnerships between PHAs and Department of Labor Workforce Development Boards/One Stops, see "From the Ground Up: Creating Partnerships between Public Housing Authorities and Workforce Investment Boards" at https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/14_DOL_PUBLICATION.PDF.
Ensure that an Individual Training and Services Plan (ITSP) is prepared for the head of the FSS family and each adult member of the FSS family who elects to participate in the FSS program. See Section I.A.4 for more information on eligible families. Ensure that the services included in the participants' Contracts of Participation are provided on a regular, ongoing and satisfactory basis; participants are fulfilling their responsibilities under the Contracts; and FSS escrow accounts are established and properly maintained for eligible families.
FSS coordinators may also perform job development functions (e.g., outreach to potential employers) for the FSS program.
Monitor the progress of participants.

FSS Coordinators are encouraged to ensure that participants have greater access to financial education/literacy/empowerment/coaching programs that will help them acquire the knowledge and skills to make informed and effective decisions that ultimately help them reach their goals and achieve self-sufficiency and financial stability. This includes partnering with organizations that conduct financial education workshops that cover topics such as credit, debt, savings, budgeting, asset building and banking services; and/or organizations that can provide financial coaching.

Available Funds.

Funding of approximately $ 105,000,000 is available through this NOFO. HUD expects to make approximately 700 awards from the funds available under this NOFO.

Preference Points.

This program does not offer preference points.

Technical Correction.

In response to applicant questions and feedback, on August 5, 2021, the following Technical Corrections were made to the NOFO:

Minor formatting and language edits for clarity and consistency
Clarified the grace year for COVID-19
Clarified Program Definitions for:
- Baseline Awards
- Funding Categories
- Maximum Awards
- Maximum Positions

Also, the following Technical Corrections to Appendix C were made: