Resident Services

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Huntsville Housing Authority - Resident Services

Resident Services

Huntsville Housing Authority offers many exciting new programs and events, especially for youth and resident empowerment. Some of these programs include:

Family Self-Sufficiency

Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) is a voluntary public housing and Housing Choice Voucher program designed to assist Huntsville Housing Authority residents in becoming financially independent and free of public assistance. With the support of local agencies and businesses, FSS combines individual case management, education, and training to aid families in becoming self-sufficient.

Workshops are provided on a regular basis to assist participants in overcoming barriers, as well as realizing opportunities that await them. These workshops address a variety of issues, including budgeting, building strong credit, interviewing skills, job retention skills, healthcare, and home purchasing assistance.

As each FSS participant becomes employed and their earnings increase, their rent also increases. A percentage of any rent increase resulting from earned income is placed in an escrow account, which is held for the family until they have completed their Contract of Participation. Once the family has completed their Contract of Participation and is free from all welfare assistance, they may cash out their escrow account. For most participants, this money will allow them to become first-time homebuyers in the community.

Housing Choice Voucher Homeownership Option Plan

The Huntsville Housing Authority has created a Housing Choice Voucher Homeownership Option Plan for eligible families participating in the Housing Choice Voucher program. The Housing Choice Voucher Homeownership Option Plan includes several program components that will assist low-income residents in achieving their homeownership goals. This homeownership plan was implemented to facilitate only those clients who have met the criteria for participating in the Housing Choice Voucher program.

Oscar Mason Branch Library

A branch of the Huntsville/Madison County Public Library (HPL), located at the Oscar Mason Community Center, serves public housing residents as well as the general public. The library provides a professionally-selected, age-appropriate collection of library materials for public housing residents. It captures nontraditional users through community outreach and offers a computer lab to stimulate the interests of adults and youths.

Cultural Arts Conservatory

The Cultural Arts Conservatory (CAC) is an award-winning initiative to provide children an opportunity to take part in Huntsville's cultural life. CAC works in partnership with the five major colleges and universities in the Huntsville area to provide classes and experiences in instruments, dance and movement, drama, music, visual arts, etc.

Crisis Services of North Alabama

The Crisis Services Center provides a 24-hour crisis hotline and offer crisis intervention and counseling to individuals who have been affected by traumatic personal events, depression, loneliness, domestic violence, rape, assault, suicide, etc.

The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Huntsville and the Sparkman Homes Teen Center

The Boys & Girls Club and the Sparkman Homes Teen Center is centrally located in the Sparkman Homes community and serves children from all of the Huntsville Housing Authority's public housing communities. The mission of the Boys & Girls Club is to provide a safe place where youths can receive assistance with homework, improve leadership skills, and participate in organized athletics. The clubs provide youths with yearlong development programs to enhance their quality of life. The programs offer guidance on principles of behavior to promote leadership, character, health and physical development, and emphasize the importance of education.

Girls' Incorporated of Huntsville (L. R. Patton)

Girls' Incorporated of Huntsville (GIH) provides programming for approximately 15 to 20 hours per week in the L. R. Patton Apartments. The combination of GIH, Boys & Girls Clubs, and public housing is the first of its kind in the nation. Specific behavioral outcome—school attendance, academic achievement, school suspension and expulsion, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, etc., is tracked for program participants at each HHA site.

Resident Councils

An elected resident council represents each community. The councils represent all of the residents of the community. The resident council is the voice of the community. Before a partnership is established for providing on-site service, the resident council is given an opportunity to voice its opinion about the need for the service in their community. If the resident council desires to have the service, HHA's staff will negotiate terms with the agency for providing the service. The City-Wide Resident Council, which consists of a representative from each community, meets with HHA's staff monthly to discuss issues that are related to all communities.

Upward Bound

Upward Bound is a program supported by Alabama A & M University and the U.S. Office of Education. It is for students who reside and attend a secondary school in the Huntsville-Madison County area and are at a ninth, tenth, or eleventh grade level. This program offers students a chance to take academic and elective courses at Alabama A & M University. Two types of programs are offered for the students, one for the academic school year, and the other for the summer break.

For more information about Huntsville Housing Authority's resident programs and events, please call the Oscar Mason Center at (256) 535-2272.