Dothan Housing Awarded $275K in ROSS/ FSS Funding & Celebrated Homeownership Month with Wiregrass Habitat for Humanity

Dothan Housing's ROSS and FSS Programs will play an important role in the Moving to Work (MTW) Agency's Work Requirements that will be implemented in FY2025

DOTHAN, AL, UNITED STATES, July 2, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Dothan Housing joyously celebrated Homeownership Month in June through the public-private partnership with the Wiregrass Habitat for Humanity (HFH), a testament to the power of collaboration. Dothan Housing was excited to share its Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Homeownership Program vision with Senator Katie Britt’s Office last fall. These are exciting times at the Moving to Work (MTW) Expansion Agency under the Landlord Incentives Cohort #3. The agency will soon have a ribbon-cutting for its first-ever HCV Homeowner.

Dothan Housing is honored by the recent announcement from HUD of economic self-sufficiency funding for $188,842.00 for its Resident Opportunity & Self-Sufficiency (ROSS) Program and $86,469.00 for its Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program. I am so grateful for our ROSS and FSS program funding as we plan to roll out our MTW work requirements. I am also proud of our first-ever HCV Homeowner and our partnership with the Wiregrass HFH, said Samiyah Craddock, DH's Director of Resident Services & Engagement. Dothan Housing's COO, Dr. Michael C. Threatt, believes these self-sufficiency programs will enhance the HCV Homeownership Program and catalyze the planned MTW work requirements for FY2025.

Dothan Housing’s Previous FSS Program Success
The FSS Program exists to help families improve their long-term financial goals. Families meeting established goals can save thousands of dollars to start a business, return to school, or become an HCV Homeowner. During the program, FSS Program participants obtain employment, attend credit classes, and take first-time homeownership classes.

In FY2022, the FSS Program held a heartwarming ceremony to celebrate the agency’s first-ever graduates. The two graduates received their certificate of completion and substantial escrow payouts totaling $32,485.09 combined, a testament to their hard work and the program's success. These success stories are just the beginning. The agency currently has 50 FSS Program participants and plans to double that number before the year is out, promising even more inspiring success stories.

Dothan Housing’s FSS program gets a boost from its resident services nonprofit entity, Building Opportunities toward Self-Sufficiency, Inc. (BOSS), having the opportunity to pave the way for implementing innovative economic self-sufficiency programs. The MTW Agency plans to implement work requirements for all households (with exceptions for fixed-income households) in FY2025.

BOSS has already started to bridge the gaps between education, workforce development, and self-sufficiency for Dothan Housing. The Resume, Interviewing, Soft Skills, and Education (RISE) program is designed to assist the Public Housing Authority (PHA) in tenant workforce development. The RISE program will ensure that families have the tools and resources needed to obtain an actual living wage, utilize affordable housing as the intended design in “moving in, moving up and moving out,” and ultimately become successful homeowners.

In addition, the agency is rolling out its MTW Self-Sufficiency Program, Moving Through the Wiregrass with Purpose (MTWP). Based on MTW's flexibilities, this program will significantly expand housing opportunities by increasing housing choices for voucher holders through mobility counseling, wrap-around services, and the Small Area Fair Market Rent (SAFMR) payment standards.

Troy University Resident Services Needs Assessment
Beginning with a thorough needs assessment through the public-private partnership with the School of Social Work & Human Services at Troy University in FY2023, the ROSS program will focus on three key areas: Education, Employment, and Financial Literacy. The assessment revealed that 78% of the respondents identified education as a service need. Additionally, 68% of the respondents identified financial literacy and employment as service needs.

Dothan Housing has strategically partnered with Wallace Community College, Wiregrass Educational Opportunity Center, the Saliba Family Service Center, and Servis First Bank to meet the employment needs of its ROSS Programs. Their services will be offered on-site for easy access for Dothan Housing residents and voucher holders. The RISE workforce development program will be instrumental in implementing MTW work requirements and the three critical areas for Dothan Housing’s ROSS Program. Moreover, Dothan Housing’s self-sufficiency agenda ensures the agency complies with its Section 3 Action Plan, which includes small business and contracting opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses.

Changing the Narrative Regarding Working Families in Affordable Housing
ROSS and FSS funding play a pivotal role in helping families achieve economic independence and enhance their quality of life; however, changing the narrative around self-sufficiency starts with executive leadership. Dothan Housing is fortunate to have built a leadership team that understands that self-sufficiency addresses generational poverty and the negative stigmas and stereotypes associated with the “projects” or “Section 8.” Many people often misunderstand this issue as laziness, unwillingness to work, and lack of effort. Far too many people lack the actual educated knowledge of why poverty and the lack of self-sufficiency exist.

Dothan Housing’s objective is clear for the RISE workforce development program and the implementation of MTW work requirements for FY2025. The current statistical makeup of the 1,502 leased-up households is as follows:

• 44%: Fixed-Income
• 25%: Working
• 10%: TANF
• 21%: Zero Income

After the data analysis, the plan is to assist 31% of households that are not working. The RISE program will provide weekly job training opportunities for engagement with the residents and voucher holders. Dothan Housing is committed to increasing economic growth and self-sufficiency and pledges to conduct training sessions at various times to ensure maximum participation in all aspects of the RISE program so that families can comply with the MTW work requirements.

Another aspect of the RISE program is the commitment to improvement and the program outcomes related to the MTW Supplement Plan. Dothan Housing will hold monthly Program Coordinating Committee (PCC) meetings to discuss gap analysis with community partners and share ideas for enhancing economic self-sufficiency programs. The success of the MTW work requirements, RISE, ROSS, and FSS programs relies heavily on community partners and volunteers.

Under the transformational leadership of Samuel P. Crawford, CEO of Dothan Housing, the organization has been nominated for the Alabama Small Business of the Year Award competition because of its accomplishments. Samuel P. Crawford was also named Chairman-Elect of the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce (DACC). Before this appointment, he served on the DACC’s Executive Committee for Education.

Jamie Bienvenu
Dothan Housing
+1 334-794-6713
jbienvenu@dothanhousing.org
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