The purpose of the Public and Indian Housing Resident Opportunity and Self-Sufficiency (ROSS) Service Coordinators (ROSS-SC) program is to provide grants to public housing agencies (PHAs), tribes/Tribally-designated housing entities (TDHEs), Resident Associations (RAs) and tax-exempt nonprofit organizations
credit:
(including grassroots, faith-based and other community-based organizations) for the provision of a Service Coordinator to coordinate supportive services and other activities designed to help Public and Indian Housing residents attain economic and housing self-sufficiency.
This program works to promote the development of local strategies to coordinate the use of assistance under the Public Housing program with public and private resources, for supporitve services and resident empowerment activities.
These services should enable participating families to increase earned income, reduce or eliminate the need for welfare assistance, make progress toward achieving economic independence and housing self-sufficiency or, in the case of elderly or disabled residents, help improve living conditions and enable residents to age in-place.
A Service Coordinator ensures that program participants are linked to the supportive services they need to achieve self-sufficiency or remain independent.
Funds in this program many not be used for the direct provision of supportive services.
This program is similar to the Public Housing Family Self-Sufficiency program (PH FSS) however, the PH FSS program is open only to PHAs and tribes/TDHEs, has a requirement of an escrow account for its participants and provides one-year funding.
In addition to be open to PHAs and tribes/TDHEs, the ROSS SC program is also open to nonprofit and Resident Associations applicants, provides three-year funding, includes administrative expenses and training as eligible uses of the funds and requires a 25% match by statute.
A PHA or tribe may receive grants in both programs.