The Best Holiday Gift
This year, the holiday shopping season will begin before you carve the turkey. Many retailers plan to start Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving. Once billed as the biggest shopping day of the year with the biggest deals, the Friday following Thanksgiving has now become a larger marketing opportunity replete with doorbuster sales during the entire week of Thanksgiving. But before you get swept up in the holiday madness, there is one thing you must do: make a list. I don’t mean the list that you check twice to find out who’s naughty or nice. That’s Santa’s job. Your job is to make a budget and stick to it. It is the best holiday gift you can give yourself and your family.
FSS: A Life-Changing Program
On Thursday, October 29, 2015, HOC celebrated the achievements of 39 people. They successfully completed the Family Self-Sufficiency Program, a five-year program, which provides residents an opportunity to change their lives by setting and achieving economic, career and homeownership goals. Each resident works with a mentor to help guide them along their journey.
The Golden Rule in Affordable Housing
There is one rule you hear about when searching for a place to live: Do not spend more than 30% of your income on housing. The 30% income rule for rent comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and indicates that families who pay more than 30% of their income on housing are considered cost burdened. Such a situation causes families difficulty affording necessities such as food, clothing, transportation and medical care.
Ice Bucket Challenge: Raising Awareness for ALS and Homelessness
As you may know, the Ice Bucket Challenge is a movement to raise money and awareness for the cureless paralyzing and deadly disease, ALS. The challenge dares nominated participants to be filmed having a bucket of ice water poured on their heads and then nominating others to do the same. The Ice Bucket Challenge went viral on social media and according to the ALS Association, more than $113.6 million has been raised since the ice bucket challenge began this summer.