Federal grant to pay $86K for Mesa housing assistance coordinator
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Family self-sufficiency program
The family self-sufficiency program is a voluntary U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development program designed to assist families in the voucher rental assistance program to achieve self-sufficiency through education, training and employment.
Participants identify career goals and establish a plan to achieve those goals, connect with community resources and services, and receive case-management services and encouragement.
Go to https://www.mesaaz.gov/residents/housing/current-participants.
An $86,000 federal grant will pay for a city of Mesa coordinator who helps families receiving housing assistance through a voucher program.
The Mesa Housing Services Governing Board, which is comprised of City Council members, voted unanimously recently to approve a resolution authorizing the city manager to accept the renewal of the family self-sufficiency program grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The family self-sufficiency program for the city’s housing-voucher participants is a voluntary program, Mary Brandon, the city’s community services deputy director, said at the board’s April 13 meeting.
“It is to help those who are receiving assistance to become self-sufficient. We meet with each of the participants. The specialist goes over what their goals may be, what are some of the hurdles they have to be sufficient. It may be they need a GED (diploma), they may need budgeting classes, they may need interview skills — things like that. It’s a five-year contract and then they can graduate with that,” she said.
The city of Mesa averages about 50 family self-sufficiency program participants per year, Brandon said.
“We’re a little bit lower than that right now. But it is a great program,” she said.
“Sounds like it,” Mayor John Giles said. “We always want to have wraparound services around as many programs as we can, don’t we? So it sounds like a wonderful program.”
Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
Richard Dyer Managing Editor | East Valley @RHDyer
Meet Richard Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.
Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions.
Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.
Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.
Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.
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