Board renews HUD Family Self-Sufficiency grant to Cochise housing authority for $85,000

The Cochise County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 24 approved renewal of an $85,000 Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to the Housing Authority of Cochise County for the 2026 program year.

Housing staff explained the FSS program has been in place for more than 20 years and the grant funds the FSS coordinator's wages and a portion of supervisory time. The program helps households receiving housing subsidies to increase earned income; as participants' incomes rise their rent-share increases and the program deposits the difference into an interest-bearing escrow account that the family receives upon successful completion of the program for uses such as education or a home down payment.

The board approved the one-year grant renewal (Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2026) by unanimous recorded motion of the members present (2-0 with one not voting).