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12/18/2025

St. Petersburg Housing Authority to Host Event Celebrating Family Self-Sufficiency Participant Achievements

ST. PETERSBURG, FL (DECEMBER 18, 2025) - The St. Petersburg Housing Authority (SPHA) will host a special event to celebrate the accomplishments of participants in its Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program and to recognize the community partners who helped SPHA residents achieve their success. The event, titled Pathways to Progress: FSS Growth & Achievement Annual Seminar, highlights the progress SPHA families are making toward economic independence.

 

Event Details:

  • Date: Friday, December 19, 2025
  • Time: 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
  • Location: Enoch D. Davis Center, 1111 18th Ave. S., St. Petersburg, FL 33705

 

Speakers:

The Honorable Kenneth T. Welch, Mayor of the City of St. Petersburg, will serve as the keynote speaker for the event.

The event will also feature SPIN El Poeta, an award-winning Guatemalan spoken word artist and Canadian national slam poetry champ.

 

About the FSS Program:

The Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program is a voluntary initiative offered to families in HUD-assisted housing. Participants receive coaching, referrals to services, and establish a family escrow savings account. FSS Program Coordinators provide coaching and develop local strategies to connect participating families with public and private resources. These resources aim to increase their earned income and financial empowerment, reduce or eliminate the need for welfare assistance, and facilitate progress toward economic independence and self-sufficiency.

 

SPHA Leadership:

"We are incredibly proud of our FSS participants and the dedication they show in building stronger futures for themselves and their families," said Michael Lundy, President and CEO of SPHA. "This event celebrates their achievements and recognizes the vital role our community partners play in supporting family self-sufficiency and homeownership opportunities."

The event is being organized by Kiara Lovett, SPHA's Director of Social Services, who emphasized the importance of collaboration. "Pathways to Progress reflects the power of hard work paired with meaningful support," said Lovett. "We are honored to celebrate our participants and deeply grateful to the community partners who walk alongside our families."

 

Thank you to Community Partners:

  • Boys & Girls Club of Greater Tampa Bay
  • Exceeding Grace Christian Center
  • Lewis Williams Education Foundation
  • My Daughter's Keeper of Tampa Bay, Inc.
  • Rock Solid Construction & Development Inc.
  • S.T.O.R.Y. 727
  • St. Petersburg College (SPC)
  • The City of St. Petersburg
  • The Brotherhood of Men Mentor Group
  • The St. Petersburg Police Department
  • The Shihan School of Survival
  • Warehouse Arts District Association (WADA)

 

Learn More:

For more information about the event, contact [email protected]

SPHA is the leading affordable housing provider in the city of St. Petersburg, serving more than 4,000 low-income households. SPHA's mission is to provide safe, sanitary, accessible, decent, and affordable housing to eligible citizens of the city of St. Petersburg, while enhancing and promoting resident self-sufficiency.

 

Exterior of the Enoch D. Davis Center in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Exterior of the Enoch D. Davis Center in St. Petersburg, Florida.

 

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ABOUT THE ST. PETERSBURG HOUSING AUTHORITY (SPHA):

An independent quasi-governmental entity and a political subdivision of the State of Florida, operating under Chapter 421 Florida Statutes, SPHA is the local administrative agency for housing assistance programs funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). SPHA offers a variety of programs and services that provide affordable rental housing to low-income families, seniors, veterans, and the disabled in the greater St. Petersburg region. For more information, visit www.stpeteha.org.

 

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