New to the FSS program? Join us for this optional introductory session to learn more about the program and build a foundation to make the most of your conference experience. We’ll cover basic rules and regulations of FSS as well as some differences between programs operated by public housing authorities and multifamily affordable housing owners.

This session will highlight the impact of the pandemic on millions of people experiencing asset poverty. From unemployment, and inflation to the rising threat of evictions, what role can we play in ensuring a more equitable recovery? Hear from peers about best practices they have employed and other client-driven resources that you can implement for FSS participants.

Engaging and incorporating the perspectives of your FSS participants into program design and delivery is essential to operating an effective, high-quality program. In this session, we’ll share key learnings from Compass’ Client Advisory Board, which continues to tackle new priorities. We’ll also hear more about how Compass uses client surveys throughout the client experience to learn how best to evolve our program and maintain client voices at the center of all innovation. Listen4Good, a national feedback capacity building initiative will also join and share some key principles for gathering high-quality feedback from participants. They will also share how client surveys and advisory groups can powerfully complement each other as engagement strategies.

One of the most powerful aspects of the FSS program is the flexibility that each housing provider has to design program policies that support client success. Hear from Compass’ team of Program Managers about how Compass has established client-centered policies for interim disbursements, contract extensions, graduations, and more. Understand and identify areas within your FSS program where flexibility is possible and learn about how the updated FSS regulations have created new opportunities to improve policies.

Committing to the FSS program can be a big step – so how can we move a client from apprehension to full enrollment? Using real life examples with client feedback, we will discuss strategies for engaging apprehensive clients. We will dissect reasons why clients may be distrustful of practitioners and discuss how to lay the groundwork for better connection. Through role play and client scenarios, attendees will practice using language that breaks down the barriers to enrollment. We will examine: potential barriers to enrollment, marketing strategies to spark interest, language, and best practices for information sessions.

This interactive session will give attendees an opportunity to learn how Compass is using innovation and technology to create equitable and inclusive tools, such as Compass's Client Engagement App, that will support financial coaches to provide high quality services for FSS clients. Attendees will also get the opportunity to share their ideas and challenges related to building equity and inclusion while leveraging technology.

There’s so much to be gained when service providers change the question from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?” During this training, the Youth Healing Team will ask attendees to reflect on their experiences over the past few years (COVID19 Pandemic, acts of Social Injustice, and Violence) and use those experiences to better understand Trauma, Toxic Stress, and their impact. Attendees will then review different ways to engage program participants with trauma histories that have proven to be much more effective than traditional interventions, including Safety Plans, Self-Care Plans, and Community Meetings. Learn ways to support your clients with emotional self-regulation and positive coping strategies.

We know that less than 4% of eligible residents are enrolled in FSS – but why? During this session we’ll share the results from interviews with residents who chose not to join FSS to better understand the barriers to enrollment. Then, we’ll explore marketing strategies that incorporate these and other insights from clients for more effective program outreach.

Historically, homeownership has been the number one way for low- and middle-income households to build wealth. But as real estate prices rise and wages remain stagnant, innovative partnerships are needed to create a bridge to homeownership. This dynamic panel will explore down payment assistance programs, public private partnerships, and an innovative new grant program, the Welcome Home Fund, delivered by Compass and the Muncey Group to support FSS participants on their home buying journey.

Many FSS participants set car buying as a goal in the program because it can open up opportunities for themselves and their children. But with so much information available and predatory practices abound, it’s important to provide clear guidance on how to make a financially sustainable purchase. Join us for an interactive discussion on budgeting, vehicle financing, and tips for negotiating with dealers.

Historically, renters do not get credit for on-time rent payments on their credit reports like homeowners do, making it difficult for individuals to build or establish a positive credit history. Now there are rent reporting products to change that! Hear from these innovative product providers and how affordable housing providers have implemented rent reporting products in their properties.

This year Compass partnered with WOMEN’S WAY to offer FSS participants the opportunity to participate in the Change the Narrative fellowship, which trains women with lived experiences of economic insecurity to share their personal stories to generate awareness of racial and gender inequities. We are honored to welcome five fellows for this panel discussion about their experience in our program and their hopes for the future of FSS.

The ability to be an effective partner and coach to FSS participants is an essential skill for an FSS Coordinator. Therefore, it is important to regularly and intentionally reflect on our personal values, strengths, and biases that impact the work we do with families. During this workshop, attendees will take part in an activity and conversation around personal money values and the impact they can have on our work with FSS participants.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated us to provide financial coaching by phone and online to all of our clients, creating learning curves for coaches and adjustments for clients. Although some in-person coaching has resumed, many clients continue to participate in remote coaching because it’s accessible and flexible. Hear from a financial coach and a client about the successes and challenges of remote coaching over the last two years and their perspectives on the future of remote coaching.

Get a first look at FSS Link’s newest upcoming offering—FSS Link ENROLL. Compass launched its own internal self-paced enrollment tool in 2020 to offer clients another way to enroll in FSS, whenever and wherever was convenient to them. Now Compass is working on launching a version that will be available to FSS Link members. Join this session to see a why and how we built this tool, get a sneak peek at how it works, and learn more about how the FSS Link ENROLL can help you reach more families.

Do you have questions or feedback to share with HUD about FSS? Here’s your opportunity. This session will also include an update on what HUD is currently working on to improve the FSS program and priorities for the upcoming year, including an update on funding and the status of the FSS legislation passed by Congress in 2018.

The FSS savings account allows clients to build wealth if they earn more money at work. So how can we best support clients to find work that will maximize their FSS savings? In this session, hear about research from the Federal Reserve on how workers can leverage transferable skills to transition into higher- paying occupations. See a demonstration of the Occupational Mobility Explorer, a free online tool that residents and advisors alike can use to explore occupational transitions, possible pay increases, transferable skills, and skills gaps. Next, hear from clients themselves on how they navigated making an occupational transition and what strategies made them successful. Attendees in this session will learn best practices for helping clients identify and pursue work that aligns with their skills, needs, and interests.

This session provides an overview of the goal setting process for FSS participants who wish to become homeowners. We will share practical tips on how to improve and expand the work that financial coaches and housing counseling agencies provide. Experts will share more on current real estate market trends, options available to borrowers of low to moderate incomes, and what coaches, lending institutions, housing counseling agencies and nonprofits are doing to make policy changes in local, state and or federal governments to close the racial wealth gap for people that have been historically red-lined out of housing as a means to build wealth in this country.

"Am I going to lose other benefits or my voucher if I join FSS?” It’s one of the most common questions we hear about the FSS program. Join this session presented by the Leap Fund to learn more about the benefits cliff – the moment when a resident makes too much money to receive certain supports. Attendees will learn about the Leap Fund’s approach to bridging and eliminating the benefits cliff and insights from their coaches on supporting clients.