SANTA BARBARA — The Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara will honor 17 graduates who have completed the organization’s Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program with a ceremony and dinner.
36-year-old Cindy Abrajan, who has lived in Santa Barbara her whole life, is one of the FSS graduates and is grateful for the support she has received with her financial and career goals.
“I felt like I had somebody who would back me up if I needed the help,” said Abrajan. “My case workers were always so encouraging. I was able to move forward with my life goals and not feel stuck at one place.”
Through the FSS program, Abrajan had access to money management classes and was able to meet her savings goal, as well as enroll in a medical assistant program at Santa Barbara City College.
Abrajan is excited about what will come next for her and her 5 children.
“Just keep working hard,” said Abrajan. “Our goal is to have a place of our own.”
The FSS Program is a voluntary five year program in which a plan is developed with each participant to design a clear path of specific goals and objectives in order to achieve living wage employment and gain economic self-sufficiency.
Participating families are required to sign a Contract of Participation with HACSB that outlines the services to be provided and the obligations required during participation. Throughout the five year contract, the FSS case manager monitors a participant’s progress and assists the participant by providing referrals and services so they may successfully complete each level on their journey to self-sufficiency.
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.
“We are extremely proud of our Family Self-Sufficiency graduates for achieving this remarkable accomplishment,” said Rob Fredericks, HACSB Executive Director/CEO. “This is a significant achievement that reflects their dedication, hard work, and perseverance and we eagerly look forward to their promising futures ahead.”
To enable FSS participants to achieve self-sufficiency, the Housing Authority works in collaboration with the Program Coordinating Committee (PCC), which is comprised of representatives from LEAP, Ventura County Community Development Corp., Workforce Resource Center Montecito Bank & Trust, Partners in Education, Santa Barbara City College, Transition House, Women’s Economic Ventures, Creating Connections, Union Bank, CommUnify, American Riviera Bank, Family Service Agency, Santa Barbara County, Spherion Staffing Services, Department of Rehabilitation and SBCC School of Extended Learning.
This network of service providers offers program vision and coordination, life-skills, entrepreneurial training, financial literacy workshops, academic counseling, vocational rehabilitation, family counseling, and job placement.
For more information, please visit www.hacsb.org
About Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara — 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. Since 1969, the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara has developed and/or secured over 4,000 units of affordable rental housing for Santa Barbara through a variety of federal, state, local and private funding sources. For more information, please visit hacsb.org