The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded $42.8 million in housing counseling grants to help 1 million Americans keep their current homes or avoid foreclosure.
Nearly half of the state and local counseling agencies selected for HUD grants received preference because they will provide counseling to individuals and families within designated Opportunity Zones.
“HUD-approved housing counseling agencies are on the front lines of helping individuals and families to find affordable rental housing or make more informed homeownership choices,” HUD Secretary Ben Carson said in a news release. “The funding we announce today will help families to realize their dreams-whether it’s owning a home, avoiding foreclosure, or finding an affordable place to rent.”
These grants will directly support the housing counseling services provided by 207 HUD-approved local housing counseling agencies, national and regional organizations and state housing finance agencies.
Grant recipients will provide services to address a full range of housing counseling needs. This includes assisting homebuyers in evaluating their readiness for a home purchase and navigating through the homebuying process. The organizations also help households find affordable rental housing, offer financial literacy training to individuals and families, and provide foreclosure prevention counseling to help homeowners facing delinquency or default to understand their options for avoiding foreclosure.
These organizations assist homeless persons in finding transitional housing and help seniors determine whether a reverse mortgage makes sense for them.
Grant recipients include:
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