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'Family Self-Sufficiency' Grads Celebrate Successes During Ceremony

Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara Family Self-Sufficiency program helps local families achieve independence from government assistance – 9 community organizations involved

May 1, 2008, Santa Barbara, CA – The Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara’s Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program will honor ten amazing graduates on Thursday, May 1st, in a ceremony and dinner hosted at the Cabrillo Arts Pavilion. Blanca Figueroa, News Anchor from Univision, will be the Keynote Speaker for this special event.

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 Housing Authority is proud to announce that this group of graduates has received over $42, 479.61 through the FSS savings and escrow program. This total will increase when the graduates receive their checks after graduation. To date, over 180 individuals have graduated from FSS and 37 are now homeowners. From the time the families enroll in FSS to the time they graduate, families literally triple their income, saving government funding and recycling tax dollars.

To enable FSS participants to achieve self-sufficiency, the Housing Authority partners with a group of community agencies. The Program Coordinating Committee is comprised of representatives of the Department of Rehabilitation, DRB Mortgage, Rabobank, N.A., Santa Barbara Bank & Trust, Wescom Credit Union, SBCC Continuing Education, the Internal Revenue Service, Crossroads Staffing, and Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV). This network of service providers provides Financial Literacy workshops, academic counseling, vocational rehabilitation, free-income tax preparation services, family counseling, and job placement.

“Thanks to our dedicated community sponsors, these graduates have been able to make important and lasting changes in their lives,” said Robert Pearson, Executive Director of the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara. “We congratulate them on the results of their hard work and we look forward to seeing what they will accomplish in the future.”

MEDIA ADVISORY

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

WHERE: Cabrillo Arts Pavilion, 1118 Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara

WHEN: Thursday, May 1st, 6:00-8:00 pm, Dinner and Awards Presentation

WHO: Blanca Figueroa, News Anchor from Univision (Keynote Speaker); Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum, Sharon Siegel representing Congresswoman Lois Capps, Santa Barbara City Council Members; new and past Family Self-Sufficiency Graduates; Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara Executive Director/CEO Rob Pearson; Board of Commissioners and staff; Community and Corporate Partners, and invited guests

CONTACT: Media contact: Daniella Elghanayan/Juliana Minsky, 687-3322; on-site contact at event: Juliana Minsky, 689-6618

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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