Alert

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) today announced that his Family Self-Sufficiency Act has been signed into law. The bipartisan bill streamlines the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program, expands the scope of services offered to participants, and fixes a technicality to provide eligibility for families living in privately-owned properties subsidized with project-based rental assistance.

“The Family Self-Sufficient Act will expand opportunity for hardworking Americans and help them create a better future for themselves and their families,” said Blunt. “This new law will give Americans more tools to expand their education, plan for the future, and reach their goal of becoming financially independent. I appreciate the strong bipartisan support and community advocacy that got this bill across the finish line. I’ll continue working to ensure Missouri families have the knowledge and skills they need to get ahead.”

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 passed the Senate in March as part of the bipartisan Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act. The House passed the bill earlier this week.

In March, Blunt spoke on the Senate floor to urge support for the legislation. The legislation is backed by the Missouri Chapter of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, St. Louis-based Beyond Housing, and the National Neighborworks Association.

In addition to Blunt, the Family Self-Sufficiency Act was introduced in the Senate by U.S. Senators Jack Reed (R.I.), Tim Scott (S.C.), and Bob Menendez (N.J.). Companion legislation was introduced in the House by U.S. Representatives Sean Duffy (Wis.) and Emanuel Cleaver (Mo.).

Specifically, the Family Self-Sufficiency Act:

• Improves the FSS program by permanently streamlining the Housing Choice Voucher-FSS and Public Housing-FSS into one program, which relieves public housing agencies of the unnecessary burden of running two separate programs that share the same goal;
  
  
• Broadens 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
  
  
• Expands 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 authorizes HUD to open up the FSS program to families that live in privately-owned properties subsidized with project-based rental assistance.