The Quincy Housing Authority was pleased to host its partners from Quincy and surrounding communities this past Tuesday for a Partner Coordinating Committee meeting to support QHA’s Family Self-Sufficiency Program (FSS). These partners play a critical role in Quincy Housing Authority’s FSS Program, providing support to Quincy Housing Authority staff in referring participants to a multitude of services to foster participant growth in the program.
The Family Self Sufficiency program was created by Housing and Urban Development to assist families toward financial independence. The goals of the FSS program are for participants to remain employed, increase earned income, reduce dependency on welfare assistance and potentially transition out of subsidized housing, with the possibility of joining the agency’s home ownership program.
The Family Self Sufficiency program offers a financial incentive for participants to increase their earned income. FSS participants establish an escrow savings account that increases as participants’ earnings increase. This escrow account helps participants build additional savings that can be used to obtain their FSS contract goals.
The group shared resources and ideas to assist the agency’s Resident Services Team through relevant case studies. Furthermore, the QHA was thrilled to be able to graduate Safiye Holloway, one of our participants from the program. Please take the time to read Safiye’s story. Successes like Safiye’s are the reasons we choose to do what we do, and we’re so proud of her.
Thank you to the Quincy Housing Authority’s Resident Services team for planning this event, our partners for their attendance and continued support, and most importantly a special thank you to Safiye, for letting QHA share in your success. Congratulations Safiye! We wish you the best of luck in the future.
Meet Safiye
Ms. Halloway enrolled in the FSS program in July of 2020 when the world was dealing with the Covid Pandemic. As some were confined to their home, Ms. Halloway was determined to better her future.
At time of enrollment into the program she set goals to increase her earned income, improve her credit, and eventually move to home ownership. Today, Ms. Halloway has had a 72% increase in her annual salary, maintained a fantastic credit score and has taken the first steps towards home ownership by completing the first-time homebuyer’s course.
