Helping families become self-sufficient

New Directions Housing Corp. is launching a new program to help empower individuals to improve their economic mobility. The program, called "I Rise," is New Directions' take on the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Family Self-Sufficiency Program. New Directions is the first nonprofit in Kentucky to implement the program.

 

 "We're trying to assist and stabilize families," says David Snyder, chief development officer for New Directions. A $50,000 grant from NeighborWorks America, in partnership with Fifth Third Bank, helped them put together the program, along with funding from other supporters. Families will receive coaching and training and will have a chance to examine the types of housing that are available after  Section 8 housing, including homeownership. 

 

Alyssia Jones, lead coach for I Rise, says she is looking forward to working with individuals and helping families accumulate savings that could go toward their goals. There is a long waiting list for housing vouchers in Kentucky, she says, and as individuals improve their financial capability and move out of the Section 8 program, others can move in.

 

Even without marketing I Rise, New Directions already has 20 people on their own waiting list. Of the 642 people in New Directions' housing units who are eligible for the program, 90% are Black and 65% are women, Jones says.

 

The program allows families to increase their earned income above the limit set by Section 8 housing. "Once the resident obtains higher wages, their increase for their rent will be deposited into a personal escrow account here at New Directions Housing Corp.," Jones says. That becomes savings, which can be used for one of their goals: a new apartment, a car, or even down payment on a home. Too often, Jones says, individuals are reluctant to move into higher-paying jobs because they know their rent will go up. That ends up limiting their mobility.

 

Once people are admitted to the I Rise program, they'll meet with staff, who help them assess and create goals. "Those goals include higher wages and filling gaps for whatever barriers they have – childcare, transportation, financial literacy empowerment, budgeting and more," Jones says. 

 

For some, that may mean acquiring more education or job training. "It's not just about getting to higher income," she says. "It's about resources. We want to bring them to the next level."

The program lasts five years, though many clients graduate early. "We're trying to help them transition from where they're at right now and push to economic mobility," Jones says.

The waiting list for the housing voucher program in the Louisville area alone is currently more than 7,000 households, she says. Families can be on that list for one to more than five years.

 

People who use the HUD voucher program for Section 8 housing often remain there for a long time, too, Jones says. "We have people who have been there for over 20 years." Some remain there even longer. And some move on to homeownership, which is something Jones wants to see happen more often. "That's the purpose of I Rise," she says. "To get them solidified in their ability to know where to go to get resources, to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel and the possibility of homeownership."

 

Snyder offers these highlights for other NeighborWorks organizations who might wonder if a family self- sufficiency program is right for them:

 

Like other NeighborWorks organizations, New Directions is working hard to make a difference in their community. With the new program, they hope to make even more of one.