Living in survival mode is exhausting. Trying to cover the bills, put food on the table, and build financial independence feels impossible some days. Between my job, school, my unpaid internship, and raising my grandson, I've just been fighting to stay afloat. It feels like I'm putting all my energy into just getting through the day, without ever actually getting ahead. Joining the HUD Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program didn't fix everything overnight, but for the first time, it feels like I actually have a tool to help me steer in the right direction.

The FSS program helps families build savings and assets. Without it, if you live in subsidized housing and your pay goes up, your rent goes up too—meaning you never actually get ahead. But with FSS, when your income increases, HUD puts that rent difference directly into a savings account for you instead.

As a woman who has endured different forms of systemic barriers, I have been able to fight through and overcome quite a few of them. But I am still navigating this complex tapestry of challenges—challenges that deeply impact people across all cultures, races, ethnicities, and income levels. I’m one of thousands who have benefited from the stability FSS provides, but that could change because HUD is considering changes that would make it harder for people to take advantage of the program. They want to increase the amount of red tape and paperwork that participants like me have to complete just to enroll and save for our futures.

I’m enrolled in a special FSS program run by Compass Working Capital. Compass uses an asset-building model that combines the FSS program savings incentive with one-on-one financial coaching. Before I heard about FSS, I had a little bit of knowledge about financial literacy, but I didn't truly understand what it took to become fully self-sufficient. I was already in college when I joined—that was a personal goal I had already set for myself. But once I connected with Compass, my coach helped me find the grants and scholarships I needed to stay in school so that getting my degree wouldn't become an overwhelming financial burden.

When I first heard about FSS, I thought it was just about working toward owning a home. Yes, that can be part of it, but Compass offers so much more. They don't just hand you a temporary fix—they give you the actual skills and knowledge to build a stable future.

I’m now three years into the program, and I have a much stronger understanding of generational wealth, savings, credit, IRAs, and investment accounts. This program has truly changed the trajectory of my life. While in the program, I earned my bachelor’s degree, and I just completed my master’s degree this past May. And this model works for countless others—70% of FSS graduates increase their earned income during the program, and many participants transition off of housing assistance entirely.

My success would not have been possible without FSS and my financial coach, but right now, HUD is trying to weaken the program by adding more requirements for participants like me. HUD has proposed changes to allow housing authorities to implement burdensome work requirement policies. This would make it harder for seniors, people with disabilities, students, and people who work multiple jobs with irregular hours to access the program. It would also implement strict time limits that don’t take into account the emergencies and setbacks that real people face. A move like this would not help increase wages or build financial stability; instead, it would significantly increase red tape for housing providers and make it harder for them to help people enrolled in the program.

Further, this increased reporting burden would put unnecessary pressure on our already strained affordable housing supply. The owners of multifamily housing units would be disincentivized to lease to voucher holders, further impacting FSS families who are trying to climb the economic ladder.

I understand the goal of accountability. As it stands, you already have to show your pay stubs, bank statements, proof of other assistance like Social Security, and receipts for out-of-pocket expenses for child or disability care. Between my job, internship, school, and running a household, adding any more paperwork would be extremely burdensome—and for what? Instead of making the process more complicated, the government should recognize that FSS works and find ways to expand the program so more people can escape poverty.

Even in the program, I’m still in survival mode, but FSS is giving me a genuine path forward. On this path, I hope to buy my own home one day, to finally stop surviving, and to start thriving.