family self-sufficiency program
highlights ( j u ly 1 , 2 0 1 2 – j u n e 3 0 , 2 0 1 3 )
We are proud to share some highlights of
role models, our high school graduation rate of
the great work that our coaches, maintenance
98% is close to twice that of the local area!
team and support staff are delivering in the
ACHIEVEability collaborated with
Family Self-Sufficiency Program (FSSP). During
Turning Points for Children for the provision
the past fiscal year (July 1, 2012 -June 30, 2013),
of parenting classes for our participants.
ACHIEVEability provided supportive services for
Classes run in 12-week segments throughout
468 people in the FSSP, including 310 children
the year. Participation is monitored along
and 158 parents. Over 83% of our parents were
with participants’ understanding of parenting
pursuing post-secondary
concepts and practices.
degrees and approximately
Particular emphasis was
our high school
87% maintained
also placed on financial
employment, even in
education to develop
graduation rate of 98%
this difficult job market.
sound financial practices
is close to twice that
Importantly, parents who
among our families. In
of the local area!
earned degrees during
partnership with PNC
the year increased their
Bank, the program
hourly wages from $9.76 to $16.20; on average,
incorporated both a 6-week Fundamentals of
increasing their annual income by over $13,000.
Money Management Workshop and an 8-week
We also continue to break the generational cycle Homebuyers Club. The Money Management
of poverty by encouraging the youth in our
Workshops focused on banking basics in an
program to stay in school and enroll in college.
effort to encourage timely bill payments and
Thanks to a lot of their hard work and our parent reverse the “under-banked” status of many of
our families. The Homebuyers Club targeted our
parents who are close to earning their degrees
and who are ready to research the possibility of
home ownership. In addition, ACHIEVEability, in
collaboration with the United Way of Greater
Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, provided
Individual Development Accounts (IDA) to its
families. The IDAs matched the savings of those
enrolled 2 to 1. Participating parents saved
$2,000 and, in return, received an additional
$4,000. IDAs also helped our parents learn
financial skills in saving, budgeting and money
management. The funds saved through the IDAs
were used toward the settlement costs to buy
a home. With the support of your donations,
our goal is to maintain vital services such as
counseling and emergency child care, restore
some of the supportive services we previously
provided such as vocational assessments and
scheduled financial aid, increase resources in
areas including job skills, and continue the
implementation of our Client Track system.
MEET JAMILA:
D I RE C T O R O F
SELF-SUFFICIENCY
Jamila Harris-Morrison, our Director
of Self-Sufficiency, has been a part of the
ACHIEVEability family since 2006.
She began as a Self-Sufficiency Coach
helping to transform the lives of numerous
families. In her current role, Jamila oversees
the case management of the families in
our program and develops our
programming efforts.
What do you find to be the biggest
challenges for the families in
the ACHIEVEability Family
Self-Sufficiency Program?
The biggest challenge is balancing
life. At times it can be overwhelming for
our parents, who are working full-time,
attending school part-time, and are also
committed to attending to the needs of
their family.
ACHIEVEability believes that
stable housing is paramount
to attaining self-sufficiency.
Tell us about the United Way
Individual Development
Account (IDA) Program.
The IDA Program makes
it possible for many of our
parents to become first-time
homeowners. Participants
save $2,000 and are matched
with $4,000 to use toward a
down payment and closing
costs. The program also has
financial education requirements to ensure
the participants are knowledgeable and
empowered buyers.
What are some future goals for the
Family Self-Sufficiency Program?
With poverty rates so high in Philadelphia,
our goal through the Family Self-Sufficiency
ACHIEVEability Newsletter
FALL - WINTER 2013
E D U C A T I O N . H O U S I N G . S E L F - S U F F I C I E N C Y.
Program is to help even more
families permanently move
out of poverty. Our current
priority is the implementation
and full utilization of a new
state-of- the-art database so
that we can better measure
our families’ progress
and improve our
program outcomes.
How can people help
ACHIEVEability families
on their quest to
self-sufficiency?
There are many ways to help. You can
always donate to our program, volunteer
to paint a home for an incoming family,
facilitate an employment workshop, mentor
a parent or tutor a child. If you are unsure,
you can contact us because we always have
a project that would benefit from extra help.
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