President Trump signed the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (S. 2155) into law on May 24th. The bill largely focused on a wide-swath of federal deregulation reforms that also included Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program reforms that had been originally proposed in a separate bill entitled the Family Self-Sufficiency Act. In 1990, the FSS program was developed to help Section 8 and public housing tenants access workforce training, increase their incomes and build savings through escrow accounts in order to achieve their employment and financial goals. The FSS changes in this bill:
- Permanently reauthorizes the FSS program;
- Allow Housing Choice Vouchers and Public Housing FSS programs to be combined. They have been administered separately;
- Expand eligibility to include families in privately-owned properties subsidized with HUD project-based rental assistance;
- Offer new services for financial literacy and educational attainment.
This bill will strengthen the program and allow for streamlined and enhanced services that NY’s housing agencies can provide to Section 8 and Public Housing tenants enrolled in the program.