Geneva Housing authority

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Consulting Report

• Geneva Housing authority
• family self-sufficiency program

Amy Pinder Sarah Gummoe Cassandra Kounas Tatiana
Polanco
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What is the Family-Self Sufficiency Program?

• Run by the Geneva Housing Authority
• Participation optional
• Service for low-income families
• Subsidized Housing
• Educational and Vocational Training
• Escrow Account
• Employment Incentives
• Variety of housing options
• Public Housing
• Housing Choice Voucher

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Research Problem
Family Self-Sufficiency Participation Rates

• Why are participation rates low?
• What can GHA do to recruit eligible families?

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Literature Review

• The Self-Sufficiency Project at 36 Months
  Effects on Children of a Program that Increased
  Parental Employment and Income (Pamela Morris
  Charles Michalopoulos)
• Association for Public Policy Analysis and
  Management (Sandra Newman Joseph Harkness)
• Family Self-Sufficiency Programs An Evaluation
  of Program Benefits and Factors Affecting
  Participants Success (Jerry Anthony)
• Does Urban Public Housing Diminish the Social
• Capital and Labor Force Activity of Its
  Tenants?
• (David Reingold, Gregg Van Ryzin, Michelle
  Ronda)
• 
  

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Our Hypotheses

• Low participation rates can be contributed to
  lack of awareness on the part of eligible
  families.
• Possible lack of understanding about program
  components and enrollment process
• Public Outreach may be inefficient/limited.
• Cultural and Language barriers may play a role.

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Research Method

• In-Depth Interviews
• Topics of Interest
• Demographics
• Attitudes/Perceptions of FSS
• Timeframe 5 weeks
• Goal 40 interviews
• 30 eligible non-participants
• 10 current participants
• Completed 17 interviews
• 42.5 response rate

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Sample Interview Questions

• Current Participants

• Eligible Non-Participants

• 1) How did you find out about the FSS
  program?     a) Can you describe how you decided
  to join FSS?
• b) How long have you been participating?
• c) Do you know anyone who is in/has
  been enrolled in the program?

• 3) The main component of the FSS program is an
  escrow savings account.
• a) Do you currently have a personal
  savings account?
• 1) Do you add to your savings account
  regularly?
• b) If not, are you interested in
  starting and building a savings account? (If not,
  why not?)

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Project Deliverables

• Analysis between participating and
  non-participating eligible families
• Provide suggestions for program improvement

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Problems We Encountered

• Response Rate
• Sample Size
• Qualitative Weaknesses

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Preliminary Findings

• The majority of respondents were not aware of
  the FSS program
• Respondents misunderstood program components
• Section 8 enrollment process overwhelms eligible
  FSS adults
• General lack of clarity about program and how to
  get information about it

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Preliminary Recommendations

• OUTREACH
• More personal contact between families and GHA
• Hire case managers (ideally multi-lingual)
• Program graduates as mentors to new members
• Individualized support in identifying and
  achieving goals
• ENHANCE SERVICES
• Financial counseling
• Job counseling and training
• Transportation services
• Childcare services
• BETTER ACCESS TO INFORMATION
• Update website with user-friendly language and
  multi lingual options
• Generate promotional materials that target a
  broader age spectrum

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Questions?