HUD Archives: News Releases


HUD Region V No. 12-039
Laura J. Feldman
(312) 913-8332
Follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/HUDMidwest)
For Release
Friday
March 16, 2012

HUD AWARDS $608,069 IN COUNSELING GRANTS TO HELP FAMILIES FIND AND KEEP HOUSING IN MICHIGAN
HUD funding critical to support 16 counseling agencies in Michigan

CHICAGO - As part of its continuing effort to help families find decent housing and to prevent future foreclosures, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced $608,069 in housing counseling grants to 16 organizations in Michigan. As a result of this funding, Michigan households will have a greater opportunity to find housing or keep their current homes. In addition to the funding to these state and local agencies, HUD is awarding $29 million to national, regional and multi-state counseling agencies that may also have an impact in Michigan communities.

"The HUD-approved counseling agencies this funding supports are crucial in helping struggling families on a one-to-one basis to manage their money, navigate the homebuying process, and secure their financial futures," said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. "We fought hard to persuade Congress to restore funding for housing counseling in HUD's budget and now we're working to make these important resources available as quickly as possible."

"This money will go a long way to make sure Michigan families get the information and help they need to be prepared for buying and keeping their homes," said Antonio Riley, HUD's Midwest Regional Administrator.

HUD Grants will support the following state and local agencies:

City Agency Awarded Grant Type
Lansing Michigan State Housing Development Authority $266,268 Comprehensive
Bay City Bay Area Housing, Inc. 23,873 Comprehensive
Fremont NCCS Center for Nonprofit Housing 27,423 Comprehensive
Grand Rapids Linc Community Revitalization Inc F/K/A Lighthouse Communities, Inc. 15,000 Comprehensive
Grand Rapids Grand Rapids Urban League 23,873 Comprehensive
Grand Rapids Home Repair Services of Kent County 25,648 Comprehensive
Grand Rapids Inner City Christian Federation 23,873 Comprehensive
Jackson Community Action Agency 18,549 Comprehensive
Lansing Elder Law of Michigan, Inc. 25,648 Comprehensive
Lansing Franklin Street Community Housing Corporation 20,915 Comprehensive
Pontiac Lighthouse Community Development 17,366 Comprehensive
Pontiac Oakland County Housing Counseling 29,197 Comprehensive
Pontiac Oakland County Housing Counseling 20,000 HECM
Pontiac Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency 19,732 Comprehensive
Traverse City Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency, Inc 30,380 Comprehensive
Ypsilanti H O P E America, Inc. (Helping Ordinary People Excel) 20,324 Comprehensive
  State total $608,069  

Housing counseling grants will assist families in becoming homeowners, many for the first time, and remaining homeowners after their purchase. They also provide assistance to renters and the homeless, and offer financial literacy training to individuals and families.

"These funds are complemented by the roughly $2.5 billion provided to the states as part of the $25 billion mortgage servicing settlement. Most states can use those funds for foreclosure prevention activities such as housing counseling and legal aid services," added Secretary Donovan.

More than $36 million in grant funds will directly support the housing counseling services provided by 27 national and regional organizations, 6 multi-state organizations, 16 State Housing Finance Agencies (SHFAs) and 419 local housing counseling agencies. In addition, HUD is awarding $2 million to three national organizations to train counselors who will receive the instruction and certification necessary to effectively assist families with their housing needs.

Counseling agencies will also receive $4 million to help assist senior citizens seeking reverse mortgages or Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM). These agencies will provide counseling for the rapidly growing number of elderly homeowners who seek to convert equity in their homes into income that can be used to pay for home improvements, medical costs, and other living expenses.

National and regional agencies distribute much of HUD's housing counseling grant funding to community-based grassroots organizations that provide information 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 counseling providers.

Grant recipients help homebuyers and homeowners realistically evaluate their readiness for a home purchase, understand their financing and downpayment options, and navigate what can be an extremely confusing and difficult process. In addition to providing counseling to homebuyers and renters, these organizations assist homeless persons in finding the transitional housing they need to move toward a permanent place to live.

Grantees also help combat predatory lending by helping unwary borrowers review their loan documentation, and avoid potential mortgage scams, unreasonably high interest rates, inflated appraisals, unaffordable repayment terms, and other conditions that can result in a loss of equity, increased debt, default, and even foreclosure. Likewise, foreclosure prevention counseling helps homeowners facing delinquency or default employ strategies, including expense reduction, negotiation with lenders and loan servicers, and loss mitigation, to avoid foreclosure. With foreclosures at critical levels nationwide, these services are more important than ever.

HUD awards annual grants under the housing counseling program through a competitive process. Organizations that apply for grants must be HUD-approved and are subject to monitoring and oversight to maintain their HUD-approved status.

Read a summary of each grant, organized by state on HUD's website.

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HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov. You can also follow HUD on Twitter at @HUDnews or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HUD, or sign up for news alerts on HUD's News Listserv.

 

 
Content Archived: July 9, 2014