— Danielle Sanders beams while talking about how she’s working to become a nurse.

She wasn’t as hopeful when she sought help through the Muskogee Housing Authority in March 2011.

“My mind was scrambling about what to do and how to do it,” Sanders said, recalling how she needed help after a divorce. “I was still in a daze and wanted to get back on track.”

Sanders, 25, credits the authority’s Family Self-Sufficiency program with helping her get back on track. The program, administered through the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, helps people in housing projects find jobs and become more self-sufficient.

Sanders “graduated” from the program in June and received a $2,971 check to be used as a down payment for a house.

That wasn’t all she got out of the program.

“By making goals for myself, I now have a better way of getting back on my feet,” she said. “They (at the housing authority) were able to help me accomplish my goals.”

Sanders said she was a resident of Port City Acres when she heard about the program. The Inola native said she had been taking nursing classes but dropped out when she got married.

“I was a stay-at-home mom,” she said, adding that she wants to provide for herself and her 4-year-old son.

Shirlene George, the authority’s coordinator of the Family Self-Sufficiency program,   recalled Sanders’ state when she started the program. “She was so down, she didn’t see any way out,” George said.

The program offered encouragement and guidance, she said. Sanders also took a variety of classes about financial literacy, resume writing, health and wellness classes.

“They call you and check up on you, if you need help with anything, they can help you,” she said.

Through the program, she also earned escrow, plus interest.

A HUD website says a housing authority establishes an escrow account for each participating family. The escrow credit, based on increases in earned income of the family, is credited to the account by the housing authority during the FSS contract. If the family completes the FSS contract and is not receiving cash welfare assistance, the family gets the money.

The Muskogee Housing Authority offers the program to residents of Port City Acres and Green Country Village, George said. Similar programs are offered to residents in Section 8 housing and other programs of the authority.

George said Sanders’ diligence helped her succeed.

Sanders now works full time at a retail department store. She also is enrolled full time at Bacone, taking nursing classes. She said she might continue taking the classes at Connors State College.

Housing Authority residents interested in the Family Self-Sufficiency program can call George at (918) 682-3672 or the Muskogee Housing Authority at (918) 687-6301.

Reach Cathy Spaulding at (918) 684-2928 or cspaulding@muskogeephoenix.com.