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MEDIA CONTACT: Juliana Minsky (805) 687-3322

‘FAMILY SELF-SUFFICIENCY’ GRADS SHARE SUCCESS DURING CEREMONY

Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara program brings Work Skills, Education, and Independence from Government Assistance – 14 Community Organizations Involved

MEDIA ADVISORY

WHAT:             Awards ceremony and dinner to honor the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara’s Family Self-Sufficiency program participants

WHERE:              (NEW LOCATION) Chase Palm Park Center, 236 E. Cabrillo Blvd.

WHEN:                 Friday, May 26,  6:00 pm, Awards Ceremony and Dinner

WHO:                   County Supervisor Salud Carbajal (Keynote speaker),  Sharon Siegel, on behalf of Congresswoman Lois Capps, Santa Barbara City Council members, new and past Family Self-Sufficiency Graduates, City of Santa Barbara Housing Authority Executive Director Rob Pearson, Board of Commissioners and staff, Community and Corporate Partners, and invited guests

CONTACT:          Media contact: Marjorie Wass/Jennifer Guess 687-3322; on-site contact at event Frank Quezada, Frank Quezada, Resident Programs Coordinator

Santa Barbara, CA, May 26, 2006 – Eighteen graduates of the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara’s Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program will be honored on Friday, May 26, during a ceremony and dinner at the Chase Palm Park Center. 

The Housing Authority’s Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program is an initiative designed to help move families receiving housing assistance and related government subsidies to a more independent lifestyle, free of governmental assistance.  Ultimately, FSS aims to help participants achieve their own personal goals and greater socio-economic advancement, including college degrees, professional careers and first time home ownership.

The FSS program also offers a financial incentive to families through the establishment of a savings account which becomes available to the family upon successful completion of the FSS program (deposits into escrow are calculated in relation to income and rent levels during the program). The average of escrow disbursed upon completion of the FSS program is more than $5,000 with the highest being over $27,000.

As of this graduation, there are now 144 people who have completed the FSS program, more than 30 of whom now own their own homes.

To enable FSS participants to achieve self-sufficiency, the Housing Authority has partnered with a group of community agencies with whom they’ve developed strong relationships, and established a Program Coordinating Committee.  These include Santa Barbara Bank & Trust, Mid-State Bank & Trust, Wells Fargo Bank, New World Realty, Bank of the West, Santa Barbara City College, Continuing Education Division, Department of Rehabilitation, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Internal Revenue Service, AIG Financial Advisors, Consumer Credit Counseling Services, Family Service Agency, Santa Barbara Staffing, and Unity Shoppe.

Santa Barbara Bank & Trust and Mid State Bank & Trust are also providing generous support for the graduation event.

“As the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara moves forward with its mission of creating secure, attractive, and affordable housing for those most in need, we are also committed to help people create their own opportunities to move forward with their lives,” said Robert Pearson, Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara.  “We could not do this without our partners in the community, who truly make the FSS program possible.”

These community partnerships are vital to the success of the FSS program.  Each organization not only provides services, training, and support necessary to help these individuals down the path towards self-sufficiency, but also communicate with each other through a Housing Authority case manager.  The participants’ needs and goals are assessed, and their programs are individually tailored to optimize their success.  Special degree programs and academic counseling are offered through Santa Barbara City College, as well as transitional programs that help the participants transition from having no college educational experience, or a long lapse in education, back into the college environment. Volunteer instructors are provided by some collaborating agencies that hold workshops to provide assistance and counseling for a wide range of services, including Budgeting and Saving Skills, Banking Services, Checking Account Reconciliation, Investments, Income Taxes, Borrowing Basics and Consumer protection, Credit Basics and Credit Cards.  Other partners provide childcare or childcare subsidy, and other basic social services such as meals, monetary assistance, and case management. 

The Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara is a local public agency created for the purpose of providing safe, decent, and quality affordable housing and supportive services to eligible persons with limited incomes, through a variety of federal, state, local and private resources. Please visit the website at www.hacsb.org

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