The family self-sufficiency program (FSS) is governed by section 23 of the 1937 housing act

The Department of Housing and Urban Development's Public and Indian Housing Office awarded the Mobile Housing Authority $266,841 under the Family Self-Sufficiency Program (CFDA 14.896) on January 1, 2026, for a project grant to fund FSS Coordinator salaries and fringe benefits.

The award funds compensation for FSS Program Coordinators who enroll and maintain families in the Family Self-Sufficiency program, which serves residents of public housing, Housing Choice Vouchers, and project-based rental assistance properties. FSS Coordinators develop individual training and services plans for participating families, work with families on employment and self-sufficiency goals over multi-year participation periods, and build partnerships with community employers and service providers. The Mobile Housing Authority must maintain at least 25 participating families in the FSS program during the period of performance, with enrollment requirements scaling by coordinator position.

The award period runs from January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2026, with place of performance in Mobile, Alabama. Expected outcomes include hiring or retaining the funded coordinator position and serving the minimum number of required participants, with participating families expected to gain employment or improve employment and wages over the course of their 5- to 7-year participation in the program.

Activities

Funds under FSS grants are used solely to fund salary and fringe benefits for FSS coordinators. Responsibilities of FSS coordinators under the award include, but are not limited to, enrolling, and maintaining families in the program, working with families to prepare individual training and services plans (itsps), and building partnerships with employers and service providers in the community. The required number of participating families that a grantee must maintain is outlined in the funding notice and is based on the number of coordinators for which a grantee receives funding. Generally, the grantee must hire/retain one full-time equivalent (FTE) FSS program coordinator for each funded position. For the first full-time FSS coordinator position funded by HUD, programs must serve at least 25 participating families in FSS during the period of performance (the calendar year following the appropriation), and this number increases by 50 families for each additional funded coordinator after the first.

Expected outcomes

Grantees will hire/retain the number of coordinators for which they are funded. These coordinators will serve at least the minimum number of participants required by the grant. Over the 5-7 years of their contract of participation, participants will become employed or improve their employment and wages and meet other individual goals.

Intended beneficiaries

The intended beneficiaries of FSS are families currently residing in public housing (section 9), families currently participating in the housing choice voucher (section 8) program, and those living in project-based rental assistance (pbra) properties.

Subrecipient activities

The recipient does not intend to subaward funds.