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

The Department of Housing and Urban Development Public and Indian Housing Office awarded $129,279 to Lakewood Tenants Organization Inc. on January 1, 2026 under the Family Self-Sufficiency Program (CFDA 14.896).

The award funds salary and fringe benefits for one full-time equivalent FSS Program Coordinator position serving low-income families in the Lakewood, New Jersey area who receive public housing, Housing Choice Voucher, or project-based rental assistance. The coordinator enrolls and maintains a minimum of 25 participating families, develops individualized training and services plans with each family, and builds partnerships with local employers and service providers to facilitate employment opportunities and economic self-sufficiency.

Lakewood Tenants Organization, a tax-exempt nonprofit headquartered in Lakewood, New Jersey, operates the program for the performance period January 1 through December 31, 2026, with place of performance in Lakewood, NJ 08701. The organization receives FSS funding exclusively and holds no federal contracts. This is a renewal award; the organization has received identical FSS grants in each calendar year from 2022 through 2026. The assistance type is a Project Grant.

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.