Family Self-Sufficiency

About

Family Self –Sufficiency is a 5-year academic, employment and savings incentive program designed to help low income families gain education and career skills to move toward self-sufficiency. Through monthly goal-setting meetings, the program provides life-skills guidance and linkages to network service providers.

Participants are expected to make continual progress towards their educational and career goals while meeting the additional program requirements of the FSS program in order to graduate successfully in 5 years.

While FSS program does not provide funding for employment or supportive services other than monthly goal-setting meetings, it can facilitate collaborative relations with local agencies to access additional resources for its participants.

Eligibility Requirements

Interested applicants must reside within Boulder County in order to apply to the Family Self-Sufficiency program.

Those eligible to apply are:

Low income families with a child under 18 who are motivated to pursue additional education & job training with the goal of moving toward self-sufficiency
Willing to meet on a monthly basis, or as needed, with a FSS support specialist to work toward long and short term educational and career goals
Committed to improving the family’s financial situation through dedication and hard work
Applicants who currently do not have Section 8 housing assistance, or who have a Section 8 voucher with Boulder County Housing Authority
Eligible for housing assistance

Income Limits

This will vary depending on family size. The total household income must be at or below 80% of area median income and family members above the age of 18 years must qualify for housing assistance with Boulder County Housing Authority or Boulder Housing Partners.

How to Apply

Interested parties will need to fill out a FSS application, a Personal Statement and obtain a Letter of Recommendation from a professional who has known the applicant for 6 months and can address their strengths. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Once an application is received, the applicant will be contacted to schedule an initial interview. Following the initial interview, applicants may be asked to complete specific, personalized tasks related to goal achievement. After completion of those tasks, applicants will be placed on the FSS waitlist. Placement on the waitlist does not guarantee FSS participation or housing eligibility.

The FSS program is not an emergency housing program and placement on the waitlist may last up to one year or longer.

To participate in Boulder County’s Family Self-Sufficiency program, please fill out this application.

The application for 2- and 3-bedroom Project Based Vouchers for FSS participants in Longmont, Louisville, and Lafayette will be open from 9:00am on January 11, 2021 until 4:30pm on January 12, 2021. Applications for all three locations (Longmont, Louisville, and Lafayette) will be available at this site. Please remember that this list gives preference to applicants already approved for Family Self-Sufficiency Program. For more information on FSS, visit www.fssbouldercounty.org.

FSS Waitlist:

The FSS monthly check in is done for those individuals who have their name on the FSS waitlist. This was created because the FSS support specialist had discovered that individuals being on the waitlist for a long period of time may result in feeling disconnected from the FSS program even though they are not “officially” in the FSS program. Doing a monthly check in allows FSS support specialist the opportunity to see how the applicants on the FSS waitlist are doing in terms of employment and/or school and providing resources to them when needed. The expectation is that individuals are making some progress, however small, while they are on the FSS waitlist.

When the applicant’s name reaches the top of the waitlist and moves into a FSS housing unit, the applicant will be assigned a FSS support specialist and will begin FSS participation.

Who to Contact

Who to Contact About the FSS Program

If you have questions about the FSS Program please contact Katie Frye at 303-441-3923 or kfrye@bouldercounty.org or Ann Harris at 303-441-4853 or aharris@bouldercounty.org.

To apply for FSS, please complete the application or aplicación and submit it by fax, email or mail.

Fax: 303-441-4852
Email: kfrye@bouldercounty.org
Mail: Family Self-Sufficiency
2685-A Mapleton Avenue
Boulder, CO 80304

FAQs

I applied, now what?

Once an application is received, the applicant will be contacted to schedule an initial interview if the application is complete.
Following the interview, applicants will be asked to complete specific, personalized tasks related to goal achievement.
Once the tasks are successfully completed, an applicant will then be placed on the FSS waitlist. Placement on the waitlist does not guarantee FSS participation or housing eligibility.
There will be a monthly “check in” done by FSS support specialist to see how things are going for an applicant while they are on the FSS waitlist.
When the applicant’s name reaches the top of the waitlist and moves into a FSS housing unit, the applicant will be assigned a support specialist and will begin the program.

Would I have to leave my own house or apartment to be in the FSS program?

Yes, you would have to move into a designated FSS apartment unless you have a Boulder County Housing Authority (BCHA) Section 8 Voucher. There are apartments that are designated specifically for FSS families to live in during the 5 years they are participating in the FSS program. These units are located in Longmont, Boulder, Lafayette and Louisville. Once you are in the apartment you would pay 30% of your monthly income towards rent.

You will be able to live in this designated FSS unit the 5 years you are involved in the FSS program. If you decide to leave the FSS program you will be giving up your housing assistance.

Does the FSS program pay for my schooling or child care cost while I work or attend school?

No, the FSS program doesn’t assist participants with their education or child care costs while working or in school. FSS participants who attend school utilize Pell Grants, Student Loans or work part-time. For FSS participants that need help with child care they are directed towards the Colorado Childcare Assistance Program (CCAP) which provides financial assistance to low-income families who are in need of child care services. These families must be working, in school, searching for employment or in training, or enrolled in the Colorado Works Program.

What is the escrow account and how does an increase in my work income help me?

A benefit of participation in the FSS program is that as a household’s income increases due to an increased in earned income, a portion of that increase is deposited into an interest-bearing escrow (savings) account. This income must be from an increase in employment salary and not from SSI, unemployment, Child Support, TANF, etc. The account is released to a participant when he/she successfully graduates from the FSS program by completing his/her goals, successfully meeting the FSS 5 year requirements and having been TANF free for the final 12 months in the FSS program.

Contacts

Housing & Human Services – Housing Division

Phone: 303-441-3929
TTY: 1-800-659-3656
Fax: 720-564-2283
Submit a question or comment

Boulder

2525 13th St, Suite 204
Map & Directions
Hours: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. M-F

Mailing Address

P.O. Box 471
Boulder, CO 80306