BUSH ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES MORE THAN $37 MILLION IN GRANTS TO PROMOTE HOMEOWNERSHIP AND HOUSING FOR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES
An estimated 730,000 individuals and families to benefit from housing counseling - North Carolina Receives Over $870,000

GREENSBORO - Nearly 730,000 individuals and families will have a greater opportunity to find housing or keep the homes they have because of more than $37 million in housing counseling grants announced today by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez. In his announcement, Secretary Martinez stated that North Carolina receives $870,726. (See attached chart for North Carolina grant recipients.)

It is estimated these grants will assist more than 430,000 people to either become first-time homeowners or remain homeowners after their purchase. The grants were awarded to 17 national and regional organizations and approximately 350 state and local housing counseling agencies. These organizations will 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.

"These housing counseling grants are an important part of this Administration's goal to expand homeownership opportunities, particularly for minorities," said Martinez. "President Bush and I are committed to opening the doors
to the American Dream to more American families."

The 17 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. Notably, 3 of the 17 intermediaries are faith-based, including 2 that are first time housing counseling grant recipients.

Of the $37.561 million in grants, $2.7 million is being awarded specifically to combat predatory lending, including awards to 4 national and regional intermediaries and 34 state and local organizations. Grantees will assist unwary borrowers in avoiding 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.

Additionally, $2 million is being awarded specifically for counseling in conjunction with HUD's Section 8
Homeownership Voucher Program, which allows low-income individuals to use rental vouchers to purchase homes. Awards under this category are made to 4 national intermediaries and 35 state and local agencies. These grant recipients will help program participants realistically evaluate their readiness for a home purchase, understand their financing and down-payment options, and navigate what can be an extremely confusing and risky process.

President Bush is proposing to increase HUD's Housing Counseling grant program to $45 million next year - a 12.5 percent increase. The organizations that provide counseling services help people become or remain homeowners or find rental housing. In addition, HUD-funded housing counseling agencies assist homeless persons to find the transitional housing they need to move toward a permanent place to live.

Who benefits from housing counseling?

Based on past experience, HUD anticipates the counseling grants announced today will enable approximately
257,000 would-be homeowners to learn how to improve their credit, strengthen money management skills and avoid predatory lenders and other unscrupulous practices. Another 175,000 existing homeowners will learn how to avoid delinquency and default, restructure debt and maintain their home. In addition, nearly 213,000 individuals and
families who will receive HUD-funded counseling are renters. Counseling services will help them find housing closer
to their jobs or health care as well as teach them about tenant rights. Finally, an estimated 16,000 homeless individuals and families will learn how to find emergency services and secure transitional housing.

HUD awards annual grants under this program through a competitive process. Organizations that apply for grants
must be HUD-approved and are subject to biannual performance reviews to maintain their HUD-approved status.

HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities, creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans, supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development as well as
enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet.

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Note: the following key corresponds to grant type

CC= Comprehensive Housing Counseling
PL = Predatory Lending
S8 = Counseling in Conjunction with HUD's Section 8 Homeownership Voucher Program

North Carolina

Affordable Housing Coalition
Asheville, NC
$58,091 - Comprehensive Counseling
The Affordable Housing Coalition is a non-profit agency that services the metropolitan Asheville and Buncombe Counties. It was founded in 1991 to coordinate the efforts of housing providers and to increase access to decent, safe and affordable housing for low-income families. The coalition consists of twelve member agencies to include Habitat for Humanity, Coalition for the Homelessness and Community Relations Council. The coalition has received
HUD funding in the last several years. In addition to their housing counseling programs, in fiscal year 2001, they provided 38 Home Base educational workshops with 466 participants. The Coalition's services and advocacy efforts directly link more than half of the 14 guiding principles under the City of Asheville 2000-2005 Consolidated Plan. The agency also serves as a voice and means for the housing developers and service providers to advocate for housing issues.

Northwestern Regional Housing Authority
Boone, NC
$40,848 - Comprehensive Counseling
The Northwestern Regional Housing Authority (NRHA) is a multi-functional Housing Authority providing a wide range
of housing and social service needs in the seven counties in Northwestern North Carolina within the Appalachian Mountain Range. NRHA ranks the 7th largest among the 99 North Carolina housing authorities. The agency received funding from HUD during the past two years. For fiscal year 2003, NRHA expects to serve 1,620 clients in the area
of homebuyer education, pre-rental, tenants rights and responsibilities, pre-purchase and post-purchase counseling, predatory lending, mortgage default and HECM. Recently, NRHA established its own Family Self-sufficiency Coordinating Council. The Council serves as an excellent vehicle for information sharing relative to the needs of the community and resources available in the community.

River City Community Development Corporation
Elizabeth City, NC
$21,629 - Comprehensive Counseling
River City Community Development Corporation is an approved HUD counseling agency whose mission is to provide comprehensive housing counseling services. The agency provides one-on-one counseling in the areas of pre-
purchase counseling, homebuyer education, mortgage and rent delinquency counseling, tenant/landlord dispute resolutions, financial literacy, and budget assistance. The agency's targeted population is the very low, low and moderate-income individuals. During fiscal year 2002, the agency counseled 106 clients. Sixteen were delinquency-counseling matters, eighty-one were potential homeowners, four were tenant-landlord related matters, and five
were senior citizens.

North Carolina Housing Finance Agency
Raleigh, NC
$30,000 - Comprehensive Counseling
North Carolina Housing Finance Agency (the Agency) is a State Housing Finance Agency created in 1973 by the
North Carolina General Assembly to offer access to affordable housing for North Carolinians with low and moderate incomes. The Agency provides capital and technical expertise, and builds private and public partnerships, matching
its resources with the resources of lenders, builders, local governments, and housing producers throughout the
state. Each of the Agency's programs serves families and individuals whose average income is less than 80% of
the median family income. Several programs are targeted to households with incomes less than 50% of the median family income. The Agency approves training standards for counselors providing services to elderly homeowners applying for reverse mortgages. These homeowners are provided a list of lenders offering reverse mortgage products in North Carolina. In addition to the Reverse Mortgage Program, the Agency offers training or consultation services
for counselors, advocates, service providers, or clients through its programs. These programs include: The
Supportive Services Program, The North Carolina Elderly Housing Rights and Consumer Protection Program, and Predatory Lending Counselors Program. The Agency also delivers several federal programs by the use of HOME
funds, which includes The Single Family Rehabilitation Program, Rental Production Program, Downpayment
Assistance Program, and the New Homes Program.

Sandhills Community Action Program, Inc.
Carthage, NC
$61,405 - Comprehensive Counseling
$31,305 - Section 8 Homeownership Voucher - Housing Counseling
Sandhills Community Action Program, Inc. (SCAP) was formed in 1965 in support of the national war on poverty.
It has evolved so that today SCAP provides a wide variety of housing counseling services. SCAP serves the four southwestern counties of Anson, Montgomery, Moore and Richmond, in NC, with offices in low-income neighborhoods of each county. Over 600 clients were counseled in the last reporting period. With this grant, SCAP can serve 1,000 low-to moderate-income clients with the goal of providing affordable housing. Counseling services includes pre-occupancy, homebuyer education, post-purchase/mortgage default and rent delinquency, post-occupancy, HECM, displacement and relocation. SCAP also has a vital marketing and outreach initiative and will raise awareness of
critical housing issues, such as predatory lending.

Johnston-Lee Harnett Community Action, Inc.
Smithfield, NC
$20,000 - Comprehensive Counseling
Johnston-Lee-Harnett Community Action, Inc. is a private, non-profit organization whose mission is to provide comprehensive housing counseling services in Johnston, Lee, and Harnett counties. The organization provides pre-purchase counseling, default and delinquent mortgage counseling, HECM counseling, and some credit counseling.
The agency's goal is to promote homeownership to the families seeking their assistance and assist them to become more self-sufficient. The agency uses Community Service Block Grant Funds to provide post and pre-rental
counseling to HUD eligible clients. During fiscal year 2002, 244 clients were counseled. Thirty-five families received Pre-Purchase Counseling, and 209 received Mortgage Default, Delinquent Counseling. Five families purchased
homes, twenty received a forbearance agreement, eighty brought their mortgage current, and only three sold their property.

Elizabeth City State University
Elizabeth City, NC
$35,516 - Comprehensive Counseling
ECSU has received HUD funds for the past four years. They service the Northeast corner of the State providing counseling programs in six counties. Counseling services include providing outreach to potential homeowners,
renters and first-time homebuyers. They also assist clients in dealing with default and foreclosure, disaster relief
from Hurricane Floyd, and predatory lending practices. In FY01-02, they served 138 clients and provided predominantly one-on-one counseling, which 44% of clients participated in group sessions. Their services emphasize on those with incidence of housing needs/problems as well as persons traditionally under-served. The groups that have received the majority of their services over the past year are Black households and elderly households. ECSU partners with several CDCs and other organizations in carrying out its services.

Cumberland Community Action Program, Inc.
Fayetteville, NC
$40,000 - Comprehensive Counseling
Cumberland Community Action Program, Inc. (CCAP) is a well-staffed agency that provides comprehensive housing counseling services to twenty-four counties in eastern and southeastern North Carolina, operating out of nine individual offices. The agency has received similar grant awards in past years. Their area of service has the highest poverty rate in the State, forcing many residents into unsuitable housing. Overcrowding, high rent burden, and substandard housing are some of the issues and concerns that CCAP addresses in its comprehensive program to
deal with this and other problems. The agency's goal is to prepare clients to become qualified homebuyers
financially, as well as prepare for what homeownership entails. The agency serves high default and other areas not fully assisted by other organizations. Additionally, they provide HECM counseling and inform clients of predatory lending practices and Fair Housing issues, to assist HUD in meeting its priority goals. A large percentage of those attending their homeowner training classes ultimately become homeowners themselves. Through the use of prior
HUD funding, combined with it own resources, CCAP assisted 3,204 clients in last year's program and plans to
exceed that number during this grant year.

Wilson Community Improvement Association, Inc.
Wilson, NC
$40,000 - Comprehensive Counseling
Wilson Community Improvement Association, Inc. (WCIA) has worked for human and economic development, the nurturing of the whole person in the community. The agency was founded in 1968 and grew out of the civil rights movement, registering voters, preparing citizens for civic involvement, developing services for youth and elderly residents, and advocating for the fulfillment and the rights of community residents. The agency's mission is to
provide housing services to low and moderate-income persons, and the elderly/handicapped. The agency provides one-on-one counseling in the areas of pre-purchase counseling, homebuyer education, credit counseling, mortgage and rent delinquency counseling. WCIA maintains close contacts with their clients through periodic newsletters and frequent follow-up calls. The agency is expecting to serve approximately 200 clients in their targeted area for this fiscal year.

Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Forsyth County, Inc.
Winston-Salem, NC
$50,000 - Comprehensive Counseling
Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Forsyth County, Inc. is a comprehensive, Housing Counseling Agency, and
has been HUD approved for over twenty-one years, receiving numerous HUD Housing Counseling grant awards over that period. With this grant, combined with their own resources, they will be able to expand their development of
their One-Stop Housing Counseling Center. This Center is scheduled to provide comprehensive counseling to over 3,190 citizens of Forsyth County and surrounding areas during fiscal year 2003. The center is in the city of
Winston-Salem, North Carolina. CCCS of Forsyth County has a primary objective of "credit rebuilding" for families
and individuals in need of housing. Services offered also include: homebuyer education seminars, post-purchase assistance, default and delinquency resolution and home equity conversion mortgage (HECM). The Center for Homeownership is a full service agency meeting the critical need of those in need of housing assistance. The
Center coordinates with local non-profit agencies, city and county governments, lenders, Realtors, and other
housing service providers to offer a variety of services in meeting this need, and boosts the homeownership rate
and decreases the default rate in their service area.

Wilmington Housing Finance and Development
Wilmington, NC
$50,000 - Comprehensive Counseling
Wilmington Housing Finance and Development, Inc. (WHFD) is an experienced, well staffed, housing non-profit organization providing housing counseling services to residents of Wilmington, New Hanover, Pender and Brunswick counties. The agency was organized in 1987 to provide affordable housing and to address the housing issues of
low-to-moderate income families. It was approved in June 2001 as a HUD approved housing counseling agency and
is one of two such agencies earning this designation within a six county area in southeastern North Carolina. Type
of counseling offered by the agency include: Fair Housing education, rental delinquency, pre-purchase, post-purchase, rehabilitation counseling, home equity conversion mortgage (HECM), money management and default counseling. WHFD will provide counseling services to 425 clients this year, under current HUD funding, and plans
to expand that number to at least 480 clients under this grant award.

Homekeeping, Mortgage Default Counseling, Inc.
Greensboro, NC
$21,629 - Comprehensive Counseling
Homekeeping, Mortgage Default Counseling, Inc. (HMDC) was founded in 1997 and has developed its comprehensive housing counseling program, with a primary objective of providing counseling services to default mortgagors in
Guilford County and the surrounding areas of Greensboro, North Carolina. The agency has received similar grant awards in past years. With the additional HUD funding this year, HMDC plans to expand its area of service to three additional counties: Guilford, Wake and Cumberland. The agency mission is to: (1) provide solid default housing counseling; (2) prevent foreclosure by acting as a liaison between the mortgagor and the lender; (3) help clients develop realistic budget goals; and (4) train clients and volunteers to better understand their own loans to enable them to resolve mortgage issues. The agency has been successful in restoring 96% of the defaulted mortgages of
the families counseled. HMDC plans to serve more than 300 clients with this grant.

Statesville Housing Authority
Statesville, NC
$28,259 - Comprehensive Counseling
Statesville Housing Authority is a medium sized housing counseling agency located in rural western North Carolina. During the past several years, the agency successfully counseled more than 1,360 individuals and families in Statesville and Iredell counties on simple and comprehensive housing issues. The agency stresses one-on-one counseling and all goals for past fiscal years were met or exceeded. The agency provides pre-purchase, pre-occupancy, rental, post-occupancy, credit repair, HECM, and predatory lending counseling to all prospective
clients. In addition, Statesville Housing Authority has managed to purchase properties and build new houses for
new beginnings for first time homebuyers. The agency expects to counsel 40 applicants during this coming fiscal
year.

Choanoke Area Development Association of NC, Inc.
Rich Square, NC
$34,887 - Comprehensive Counseling
Choanoke Area Development Association of NC, Inc. (CADA) is a public housing authority providing increased homeownership and rental housing opportunities over 41 years, targeting low and moderate-income families living
in one of the most distressed areas of North Carolina. The agency will provide housing counseling services to the clients of Bertie, Halifax, Hertford and Northampton counties in NC. CADA's mission is to facilitate resources/services that enables families and communities to build assets and to be self-sufficient. The agency provides housing counseling services in the areas of pre-purchase, pre-occupancy, rental, post-occupancy, HECM, and relocation counseling, along with a very extensive marketing and outreach strategies. The agency is projecting to serve over 870 clients during this fiscal year, stressing one-on-one counseling over group counseling.

Highland Family Resource Center, Inc.
Gastonia, NC
$36,000 - Comprehensive Counseling
The Highland Family Resource Center (HFRC) has not received previous HUD funds for Comprehensive Housing Counseling. Although it didn't become a HUD-Approved Housing Counseling Agency until 2002, it has been providing housing counseling and other important services to low- to moderate- income individuals and families in the
Highlands community of Gadsden, Lincoln and Shelby Counties over the past several years. It was designated as
a HUD-Certified CHDO in 2001. This grant will complement and strengthen the housing assistance it provides as a CHDO. In this capacity, it acts as a private nonprofit, community-based service organization, whose primary
purpose is to provide and develop decent, affordable housing for the community it serves. Its stated mission is to support and strengthen the instructions of family and their children in the Highlands area. With the funding provided under this grant, plans are to assist 75 clients with direct counseling and an additional 250 clients in group training. The types of services it will provide are: Pre/Post Homebuyer Education classes, Home Loan counseling, Credit counseling, New Home construction assistance, Money Management, Budget counseling, Debt counseling,
Bankruptcy - Judgement - Foreclosure prevention counseling, Record Keeping Skills and Home Works Maintenance classes. Due to its past post ownership counseling efforts, none of those who received the training have defaulted
on their loans.

Western Piedmont Council of Governments
Hickory, NC
$25,350 - Comprehensive Counseling
WPCG has not received previous HUD funds. The WPCG, in conjunction with the Department of Social Services, developed and taught homebuyer classes for clients who had at one time been on public assistance. Classes were held monthly and were mandatory. In FY01-02, they succeeded their First-Time Homebuyer Program expectations
by 15%. Two counselors were on the Steering committee for the State of North Carolina's Section 8 Homeownership Program, and WPCG is recognized as a leader in the State's Section 8 homebuyer program. The agency did not leverage funds for its operation and completed training and counseling activities on a voluntary basis, or as spare
time allowed. In FY01 WPCG served 35 clients, of those 22 clients purchased homes, and 10 clients were saved
from default/foreclosure. The agency operates within the Uniform Consortium (Alexander, Burke, Caldwell and
Catawba counties), and partners with seven lending institutions, including USDA Rural Development, Habitat for Humanity, the local housing authority and Department of Social Services in the IDA project to create more homeowners.

Greensboro Housing Coalition, Inc.
Greensboro, NC
$44,832 - Comprehensive Counseling
Greensboro Housing Coalition (GHC) is a private nonprofit organization, with the mission of advocating decent affordable housing for low-and moderate-income individuals with special needs, GHC manages the home buying program and the Housing Hotline for the City of Greensboro. It is GHC's mission to help individuals and families
improve their housing conditions and achieve the goals of homeownership. GHC serves all individuals requesting assistance, without fee; they accommodate individuals with physical and mental disabilities, and those in need of transitional services. They also provide transportation as necessary to ensure that counseling needs are met. Under last year's program, GHC assisted 550 clients. With this grant award, GHC will counsel over 600 clients in activities including: pre-occupancy (rental and Homeownership), predatory lending, home rehabilitation and repair, mortgage default prevention, homebuyers' education. This housing counseling activity will focus on special assistance to the homeless and disabled.

Cabarrus County Community Development Corporation
Concord, NC
$43,000 - Comprehensive Counseling
Cabarrus County Community Development Corporation (CCCDC) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to
enable individuals and families to realize the dream of homeownership. Serving the rural, west-central counties of Cabarrus, Rowan, Stanley and Iredell, in NC, they work to revitalize neighborhoods and provide affordable housing. These counties have been hard hit by unemployment in the manufacturing and textile industries. They have a high percentage of poverty, homeless, and low-income individuals and families, and an increased Hispanic population in need of housing counseling and translation services. Working with local partners including faith-based organizations, CCCDC will provide comprehensive housing counseling services for economic literacy, asset building for the poor, homeless prevention, rental assistance, and pre- and post occupancy education. The agency also provides
translation services, affordable housing development, down payment assistance and homebuyer education.

Monroe-Union County Community Development Corporation
Monroe, NC
$40,000 - Comprehensive Counseling
Monroe-Union County Community Development Corporation (MUCCDC) is a nonprofit organization providing
affordable single family housing to low- to moderate-income families in Union County in southwest North Carolina. Their mission is to develop and provide affordable and transitional housing to help low- and moderate- income individuals and families reach the goal of homeownership. Union County is experiencing rapid growth because of
new job opportunities; however, an increased population is competing for the scarce low-income, often
substandard, housing. MUCCDC now has 65 low- and moderate-income units under construction. In cooperation
with public and private partners, they are also rehabilitating occupied properties, targeting first those occupied by
the elderly. With this grant, MUCCDC will provide an increased level of comprehensive housing counseling and
continue its program to provide access to affordable housing.

Davidson County Community Action, Inc
Lexington, NC
$24,945 - Comprehensive Counseling
Davidson County Community Action, Inc (DCCA) was organized in 1985. In addition to its involvement in a number
of Federal and State housing programs in providing housing, it has also operated as a HUD-approved Housing Counseling Agency, receiving funding in prior fiscal years. DCCA's objective for this grant funding period is to provide housing counseling for at least 50 low-income individuals, and families, to maintain affordable housing or rental units and prevent foreclosures and evictions. It will target the homeless, renters and clients undergoing foreclosures.
The agency maintains qualified staff and possesses the experience to provide these services. DCCA is also a HUD-
certified CHDO. In this role it acts as a private nonprofit, community-based service organization, whose primary purpose is to provide and develop decent, affordable housing for the community it serves. These services under its CHDO role will complement the housing counseling activities made possible under this grant.

Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Western NC
Asheville, NC
$50,000 - Comprehensive Counseling
CCCS is a HUD Certified Comprehensive Housing Counseling Agency since 1979, and has received HUD funds for 19
of the 23 years. Counselors provided housing counseling services in 18 counties of Western North Carolina with 11 satellite locations. In June 1998, CCCS was accredited by the Council on Accreditation for Services to Families and Children and reaccredited in November 2002. During the FY01 CCCS conducted 467 housing counseling sessions helping 700 people with housing related issues. The CCCS method of housing counseling is primarily one-on-one, in person counseling and provides a toll-free phone number for clients outside Buncombe county, and has established
an interactive website. Their Housing Crisis Counseling Program Outcome survey results for 2001 shows that 100%
of clients avoided homelessness; 95% paid living expenses in a timely manner; and 98% were able to avoid bankruptcy. Due to the slow economy and rising housing crisis, the agency is planning a region wide project to capitalize on the "America Saves" movement and create "WNC Saves" to promote savings behavior and financial planning. CCCS has partner relationships with 20 service organizations including NAACP, United Way and The
Cherokee Tribal Council.

Olive Hill Community Economic Development Corp., Inc.
Morgantown, NC
$21,629 - Comprehensive Counseling
Olive Hill Community Economic Development Corp., Inc. (OHCEDC) is located in Burke County in Western North Carolina. Morgantown is the largest city in Burke County and as many other small or large cities in the United
States, there is an affordable housing shortage crisis. OHCEDC's mission is to positively impact the social, physical, educational and economic environment of area communities. With the proceeds from their first housing counseling grant, OHCEDC expects to achieve the following: increase participation of first time homebuyers in the market,
reduce losses by reducing the number of foreclosures, reduce mortgage default and costs, reduce losses caused
by rent delinquencies and evictions, encourage and increase applications of persons with disabilities to pursue homeownership, and increase the number of minority homeowners.