With a daughter to care for, Silvia Alvarez found herself in a tough spot when she lost her job.

Uncertain about her next move, Alvarez turned to her Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara (HACSB) case worker, who referred her to the organization’s Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program.

With the extra support, she soon returned to school for her associates degree and had plenty to be proud about as she graduated from the FSS program on Oct. 4.

“I’m actually working a job I enjoy,” said Alvarez, who enrolled in the program in 2014. “My daughter is happy, and my life has been stable.”

Alvarez was among 11 FSS graduates who took center stage at a special graduation ceremony and dinner at HACSB’s Presidio Springs Community Room.

The program is designed to help move families receiving housing assistance and related government subsidies to a more independent lifestyle, free of governmental assistance.

“We don’t want to just hand over keys to a home and say, ‘Good luck,’” said Rob Fredericks, HACSB, executive director/CEO.

“We want to really provide opportunities for families to capitalize on the affordable housing we provide, get the extra education and job training they need and more. That’s what Family Self-Sufficiency does,” he said.

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. 

This group of graduates increased their combined annual earned income by $306,252. Moreover, graduates increased their annual earned income by an average $27,841.

To date, 309 individuals have graduated from FSS and 45 are now homeowners. From the time the families enroll in FSS to the time they graduate, families literally triple their income, saving government funding and recycling tax dollars.  

The FSS Program Coordinating Committee is comprised of representatives of the Family Service Agency, KRA/Workforce Resource Center, Montecito Bank & Trust, Department of Rehabilitation, SBCC School of Continued Learning, Union Bank, World Financial Group, Teen Connect, SBCC Foundation, Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center, Girls Inc, Peoples’ Self-Help Housing Corporation, Transition House.

This network of service providers offers program vision and coordination, streamline access to services in life-skills, workforce training, financial literacy workshops, academic counseling, vocational rehabilitation, family counseling, and job placement.

For more about HACSB, visit www.hacsb.org.

— Angel Pacheco for the Housing Authority for the City of Santa Barbara.