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WASHINGTON
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U.S.
Senators Tim
Scott
(S.C.), Roy
Blunt
(Mo.),
Jack
Reed
(R.I.),
and
Bob
Menendez
(N.J.)
today
introduced
the
bipartisan
Family
Self-Sufficiency
Act,
which
would
streamline
and
improve
the
U.S.
Department
of
Housing
and
Urban
Development’s
Family
Self-Sufficiency
(FSS)
program.
"Every
American
wants
the
opportunity
to
succeed,
and
it
is
important
for
us
to
support
families
striving
to
achieve
the
American
Dream,"
said
Scott,
Chairman
of
the
Senate
Banking
Subcommittee
on
Housing,
Transportation,
and
Community
Development.
“The
bipartisan
Family
Self-Sufficiency
Act
will
help
our
country’s
most
vulnerable
down
the
path
towards
financial
independence,
by
providing
them
access
to
job-training
or
helping
them
attain
a
GED.
These
families
are
looking
for
a
hand-up,
not
a
handout,
and
I
am
proud
to
work
alongside
my
colleagues
Senators
Blunt,
Reed,
and
Menendez
on
this
critical
issue
to
help
low-income
families
seeking
better
opportunities
prosper."
“This
bipartisan
legislation
will
help
more
low-income
Americans
expand
their
education,
save
for
the
future,
and
reach
their
goal
of
becoming
financially
independent,”
said
Blunt.
“It
is
a
commonsense
step
we
can
take
to
improve
the
FSS
program
and
enhance
support
for
people
in
Missouri
and
across
the
country
who
are
working
hard
to
create
a
better
future
for
themselves
and
their
families.”
“The
FSS
program
helps
families
achieve
their
financial
goals
so
they
can
become
independent.
It
provides
a
roadmap
to
stability
and
links
them
to
critical
support
services
to
get
there,
like
help
with
education,
job-training,
or
childcare
so
individuals
can
support
their
families.
Ultimately,
it
empowers
people
to
gain
marketable
skills,
improve
their
job
prospects,
and
sets
them
on
a
path
towards
greater
economic
independence
and
self-sufficiency,”
said
Reed.
“Our
bipartisan
bill
will
streamline
the
program
and
make
it
more
effective
so
it
can
reach
more
residents
and
give
more
folks
an
opportunity
to
build
a
better
life.”
“The
Family
Self
Sufficiency
program
provides
families
receiving
federal
housing
assistance
a
key
pathway
to
success.
By
linking
families
to
critical
job-training,
child
care,
and
educational
services,
the
FSS
program
empowers
families
to
develop
the
skills
and
build
the
systems
needed
to
achieve
and
maintain
success,”
said
Menendez.
“Our
bill
will
strengthen
the
already
successful
program
and
provide
additional
families
an
opportunity
to
thrive.”
The
FSS
program
helps
families
enrolled
in
housing
voucher
or
public
housing
programs
increase
their
earnings,
build
savings,
and
make
progress
toward
self-sufficiency.
The
Family
Self
Sufficiency
Act
would
improve
the
FSS
program
by
permanently
consolidating
duplicative
programs,
broadening
services
that
can
be
provided
to
a
participant,
and
authorizing
the
extension
of
the
program
to
tenants
who
live
in
privately-owned
properties
with
project-based
assistance.
Specifically,
the
Family
Self-Sufficiency
Act
would:
- Improve
the
FSS
program
by
permanently
streamlining
the
Housing
Choice
Voucher-FSS
and
Public
Housing-FSS
into
one
program,
which
would
relieve
public
housing
agencies
of
the
unnecessary
burden
of
running
two
separate
programs
that
share
the
same
goal;
- Broaden
the
scope
of
the
supportive
services
that
may
be
offered
to
include
attainment
of
a
GED,
education
in
pursuit
of
a
post-secondary
degree
or
certification,
homeownership
assistance,
and
training
in
asset
management; and
- Expand
the
reach
of
the
FSS
program
to
more
families
that
may
be
excluded
due
to
a
technicality
related
to
the
kind
of
housing
assistance
a
family
receives.
The
bill
would
authorize
HUD
to
open
up
the
FSS
program
to
families
that
live
in
privately-owned
properties
subsidized
with
project-based
rental
assistance.
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