Self-help program tackles poverty

The Clearwater Housing Authority is helping poor families get jobs, receive training and save for houses.

By DEBORAH O'NEIL, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published January 14, 2002

CLEARWATER -- Last spring, Nicole Quarterman was going to school full time, working part time and raising her four children when financial troubles hit.

The single mother considered quitting her nursing classes to make more money. But she was only two months away from finishing coursework to become a licensed practical nurse, an achievement that would boost her career and income.

So she made a pivotal decision.

Quarterman gave up her Clearwater rental home and moved into public housing at Jasmine Courts to save money on rent. There, she joined a program that is helping her build the future she has dreamed of for her children: one with a home and a secure job that allows her to support her family.

"I want to send my kids to college, and I don't want to struggle anymore," said Quarterman, 30. "I want them to have some of the things they have been deprived of. We've had some hard times."

The program, Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency or ROSS, helps poor families become economically self-sufficient. It is funded with a $500,000 federal Housing and Urban Development grant won by the Clearwater Housing Authority. The program is administered by Partners in Self Sufficiency, a social service agency affiliated with the housing authority.

ROSS is helping 42 Clearwater families who live either in public housing or receive Section 8 vouchers. Of the 42 families, 33 live in public housing, most in Jasmine Courts.

The program provides classes on life skills, budgeting and computers. Case managers assist participants in finding employment, job training or educational opportunities.

Each family can receive up to $200 annually for expenses such as transportation, work uniforms or professional licenses.

Clients are told, "If you need something, we're a resource," said Jennifer Young, the assistant director of Partners in Self Sufficiency. "Let us help you find a way to solve your own problem."

One of the biggest benefits is a home-ownership savings plan. Rent in public housing is determined by income, so as income goes up, rent goes up. As the participants advance in job training or get better jobs, their rent goes up.

But through this program, the housing authority sets aside the amount of their rent increase in an interest-bearing escrow account. When the residents complete the program, the money is given back so they can buy a home. Twenty ROSS participants already have saved a total of $48,000.

In Quarterman's case, she completed her LPN training and got a promotion and pay raise. When her $462 monthly rent increase kicks in next month, she will actually be setting that money aside in an escrow account.

Never, said Quarterman, has she been able to save that much money.

"Not even $5," she said. "I want to buy a home. I've always dreamed of having my own home for my kids."

ROSS program coordinator Sheryl Williams estimates Quarterman could save $10,000 or more if she sticks with the program to the end.

"She's motivated, and she's real determined," said Williams, who spent her teenage years in Jasmine Court and now has an office there. "I know she's going to make it. I know she'll end up getting a real nice home."

At the end of the three-year program in 2004, the aim is to have all participants out of public housing.

"Our whole goal is to get them not to come back to us at all or their kids," said Jacqueline Rivera, executive director of the Clearwater Housing Authority. "We want to break the cycle."

Most of the participants are minority single mothers. The women find themselves in public housing for a variety of reasons: divorce, domestic abuse, job loss. Williams said she encourages them to think about their future five years from now, and 10 years from now for the children.

"All it takes is one word of encouragement to let someone know you believe in them," Williams said. "In public housing, that's something a lot of residents never hear much."

The participants are a hard-working lot. Almost all have jobs, and 11 are enrolled in school or vocational training. The majority of the families fall well below the median household income. A typical family of two participating in the program has a household income of less than $19,000; a family of four with a mother and three children typically earns less than $23,850.

"They're working poor," said Sylvia Costello, executive director of Partners in Self Sufficiency. "They don't have the income to get out of poverty, but they're working and they're motivated."

Through the program, Quarterman has completed the life skills and budgeting courses, and plans to take the computer class this year. She is considering training for another career boost: becoming a registered nurse.

Quarterman says it's all for her children: Shakela, 13, Dominic, 11, Jasmine, 7, and Johnetta, 5. "I just want them to have a good life, a home to call their own," Quarterman said.

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