HUD Archives: News Releases

WHITE HOUSE AND HUD HIGHLIGHT JONESBORO RESIDENT AS A "CHAMPION OF CHANGE" AND LEADER IN HOUSING COUNSELING

LITTLE ROCK - On Thursday, March 1st in Los Angeles, California, the White House and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will honor Sheila Reddig of Jonesboro, Arkansas as one of eleven housing counselors and HUD-approved organizations being recognized as Champions of Change for their hard work, perseverance and dedication to their communities. Sheila Reddig has been selected for outstanding commitment and achievement representative of the collective work of thousands of housing counselors across the United States.

"Housing counselors work tremendously hard, each and every day, to help families realize the American dream," said White House Senior Advisor, Valerie Jarrett. "From helping homeowners avoid foreclosure to making sure tenants understand their rights to working with borrowers to restore their credit, the men and women we honor today truly are Champions of Change."

"From serving on the front lines of the fight against foreclosure since the housing crisis began, to assisting homeowners and tenants to improve their housing conditions, we owe a debt of gratitude to skilled, objective and knowledgeable housing counselors like Ms. Reddig," added HUD Regional Administrator C. Don Babers. "She's making a difference in Arkansas."

The Champions of Change program was created as a part of President Obama's Winning the Future initiative. Each week, a different sector is highlighted and groups of Champions, ranging from educators to entrepreneurs to community leaders, are recognized for the work they are doing to serve and strengthen their communities.

Housing counseling assistance was developed over 40 years ago at a time of severe disinvestment in housing, unaffordable interest rates, high unemployment and irresponsible lending practices. Today, HUD approves, monitors and supports counseling organizations and tracks their output.

Recent initiatives have extended the number and location of HUD-approved housing counseling organizations and reduced the amount of time and complexity of the process to award HUD housing counseling grants.

To learn more about our Champions and watch video of the event, go to www.whitehouse.gov/champions.

Sheila Reddig is the Homeownership/Housing Counseling Coordinator for the Jonesboro Urban Renewal and Housing Authority Housing Community Development Organization in Jonesboro, Arkansas. In this role, she serves as both Counselor and Coordinator and provides all housing counseling and education services. She has been in this position for the past seven years. Sheila has developed and communicates effectively with a local network of partners who are involved in the home buying process. This enables her to provide specific up-to-date advice for the clients she serves according to the loan and down payment assistance programs they qualify to access. She consistently provides a full 8 hour Pre-Purchase Homebuyer Education Class once a month for Northeast Arkansas. Before attending the class, one-on-one time is spent with each client to complete a full intake including assets, liabilities, development of a budget and registration for the class. Sheila has been very successful in helping clients combine Section 8 HCV Homeownership assistance, USDA Rural Development Direct Loans, local CDBG New Homeownership Grants, Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas HELP funds and Arkansas Dream Downpayment Initiative funds in order to ensure that the NEW homeowners are going to be Successful.

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