Resident Services Offered by
Sarasota Housing Authority

Sarasota Housing Authority’s Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency (ROSS) Department provides opportunities for residents to identify and work towards their life goals. The ultimate goal of the ROSS Department is to help lead families to self-sufficiency. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) a family is self-sufficient when:

• The head of household has obtained employment and
• All family members are free of cash assistance for 12 months
  or
• 30% of the monthly adjusted income meets or exceeds the fair market rental rate for their current unit.
  

Sometimes these goals are difficult to obtain alone.

It may be the birth of a new baby, an unexpected illness or some other unforeseen circumstance that causes our residents to fall upon difficulty.

The ROSS Department supports the residents through advocacy, coaching, and even serving as role models. The objective is to identify a family’s goals and assets, and assist them in overcoming barriers in their way.

The most common barriers that we have identified are:

• lack of education
• difficulty finding affordable childcare
• difficulty finding sufficient wages
• overcoming a criminal background
• transportation issues.

To help remove such barriers, SHA recently applied for and was granted a federal grant from the U.S. Department of HUD for Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency. This $150,000 grant funds self-sufficiency programs at SHA for our residents for three years. The timing of this grant is perfect as SHA works to counsel and assist families preparing for relocation as a result of the planned redevelopment of SHA’s family sites in Newtown. SHA’s vision is to transform our residents’ lives as well as to transform our housing stock and the community.

The ROSS Staff includes an administrative assistant, a SHA Case Manager/Section 8 Specialist,and an additional Case Worker funded by a generous grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and provided by the Jewish Family & Children Services. Our Director of Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency manages the program.

The ROSS center includes a GED Classroom, a large meeting room for program sessions and other meetings, and a computer lab with 6 computers with internet access and a printer. The hours are 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday. The computer lab is available to residents during office hours. Case managers can be seen by appointment.

The ROSS Training Center engages local educational institutes, non-profits organizations and employers in on-site programs and classes that are developed to address each of these needs. Our partners are listed below:

Education Partners

Sarasota County Technical Institute · Manatee Community College

Walgreen’s · Children First

Partner Employers

UPS · Protocol Marketing · Walgreen’s · Olsten Staffing

Vengroff Williams & Associates · Sarasota Memorial Medical Center

The Ritz-Carlton · Youthful Aging Home Health Agency

Sarasota County Area Transit

Non-Profit Partners

Jobs Etc./Suncoast Workforce Board · Goodwill GoodJobs · NAACP

Community Foundation · Jewish Family & Children Services

Women's Resource Center · Childcare Connection

Community Life Center · Abundant Blessings Media

Goodwill Good Homes · Habitat for Humanity

(Clothing donated by Laura Jean’s Consignment Shops & Encore & More Boutique)

The ROSS Department is constantly expanding its program offerings to meet the needs of the resident population. Recently added programs include Pharmacy Technician Certification Training with Walgreen’s, Early Childhood Education Training with Children First and Computers for the Real Beginner with MCC.

We are always looking for partner employers, guest speakers and other community leaders to assist in this very worthwhile and rewarding mission. If you would like to assist or make donations to the ROSS Program, please feel free to call (941) 316-8311 or e-mail us.