I AM Self Sufficient

The Rockford Housing Authority takes part in HUD’s Family Self Sufficiency Program (FSS), which aims to get families on the fast track to being financially self-sufficient and for those who choose, owning their own home. Tikisha Ellis is one participant in the program. She and her daughter dreamed of owning their own home, and now, thanks to the program, along with Habitat for Humanity, that dream will soon be a reality.

The key to the success of the program is that it requires a commitment by the participant. The up to five year program requires employment by the time of graduation. In collaboration with Habitat for Humanity, additional requirements include the responsibility to a mortgage, and participants must spend 300 hours on the construction site, working to build their new home.

Tikisha wants to give her daughter opportunities that she never had growing up, and the Family Self Sufficiency Program is allowing her do just that.“ I want her to be able to look at me and see how far I’ve come, and see that you have to work for anything you want out of life,” said Tikisha about her daughter. This program is one of the Rockford Housing Authority’s opportunities for residents to realize their dreams and achieve the success which comes from being self-sufficient.