Nearly 430,000 individuals and families will be able to find housing, or keep the homes they now have, with the help of $18 million in housing counseling grants announced on Wednesday by Secretary Martinez. The grants were awarded one day after President Bush hosted a Washington conference that highlighted the importance of education and counseling when purchasing a home.

"These grants will go a long way to help more Americans either become or remain homeowners," said Martinez. "President Bush and I are committed to opening the doors to the American Dream to minority families who have long wanted a home to call their own."

The grants were awarded to 12 national and regional organizations and 322 state and local housing counseling agencies. These organizations provide counseling services and will help meet the Bush Administration's goal of increasing minority homeownership by 5.5 million families by the end of the decade. President Bush also has proposed to increase HUD Housing Counseling grants by 75 percent next year - from $20 million to $35 million. In addition to providing homeowner and rental housing counseling, HUD-funded housing counseling agencies assist homeless persons to find the transitional housing they need to move toward a permanent place to live.

The 12 national and regional agencies distribute much of the HUD funding to community-based grassroots organizations that provide free advice and guidance to low- and moderate-income families seeking to improve their housing conditions. In addition, these larger organizations help improve the quality of housing counseling services and enhance coordination among other counseling providers.

View detailed individual grant summaries, by state.

Read the full news announcement.