Compass Working Capital Celebrates Passage of Pilot Program to Strengthen Asset-Building Initiative in Bipartisan Housing Bill

Housing bill includes Helping More Families Save Act to expand Family Self-Sufficiency Program

BOSTON, June 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Compass Working Capital, a national nonprofit working to end asset poverty for families with low incomes, celebrates the passage of the Helping More Families Save Act as a part of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a comprehensive, bipartisan bill to address the national housing crisis.

The Helping More Families Save Act establishes a pilot program to improve the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program, HUD's primary asset-building initiative for families with low incomes. The FSS Program helps participants build savings and achieve financial independence while receiving housing assistance. Compass Working Capital is proud to have initiated and advanced this legislation in close partnership with federal lawmakers, drawing on its decade of experience administering FSS programs in communities nationwide.

"With the passage of the Helping More Families Save Act, Congress has again reaffirmed that housing assistance can and should build lasting economic security for American families," said Markita Morris-Louis, CEO of Compass Working Capital. "The Family Self-Sufficiency Program has long demonstrated what is possible when we invest in families, and this legislation expands that promise to countless more families across the country. We are grateful to our Congressional champions for their steadfast commitment to this work, and excited to help steer this innovative policy into action."

"The Family Self-Sufficiency program is a smart, pro-family policy that encourages work, rewards responsibility, and helps families build a stronger financial future. Too often, government programs create barriers to economic mobility instead of pathways to independence. The Helping More Families Save Act helps change that by allowing families to prepare for the future without being penalized for getting ahead. I am pleased that our bipartisan bill was included in the final version of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act," said Rep. William Timmons (R-S.C.).

Since 2010, Compass Working Capital has partnered with housing authorities and affordable housing providers to administer the FSS Program, establishing itself as a national leader in asset-building for families with low incomes. Drawing on years of firsthand experience, Compass has worked closely with lawmakers to shape the Helping More Families Save Act and pass it into law. The pilot program established by this legislation reflects the model Compass has spent years refining, and will now extend that opportunity to thousands more American families.

Compass Working Capital thanks the following Members of Congress for their bipartisan efforts in passing this critical piece of pro-family legislation: Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-S.C.), and Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and Representatives William Timmons (R-S.C.), Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), French Hill (R-Ark.), Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.).

About Compass Working Capital
Compass Working Capital ("Compass") works to end asset poverty for families with low incomes and narrow the racial and gender wealth divides. Compass partners with affordable housing providers to run the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Family Self-Sufficiency program, the nation's largest asset-building program for families with low incomes. Since 2010, Compass has supported over 7,300 families to build more than $35 million in savings.

SOURCE Compass Working Capital