BUSH ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES $44.1 MILLION IN HOUSING COUNSELING GRANTS TO NEARLY 400 NATIONAL, STATE AND LOCAL AGENCIES
Twenty four local agencies in North Carolina will get $1.3 million

GREENSBORO - Approximately 700,000 families will have a greater opportunity to find housing or keep the homes
they have because of more than $44 million in housing counseling and counseling training grants announced today
by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson. Twenty four North Carolina agencies will receive $1,291,535.93 (see attached breakdown by agency).

Housing counseling grants will assist families in becoming first-time homeowners and remaining homeowners after
their purchase. Renters and homeless individuals and families will also benefit from the counseling offered by the grants. These grants, totaling over $41 million, were awarded to 19 national and regional organizations and nearly
370 state and local housing counseling agencies.

Housing counseling training grants will help approximately 2,600 counselors receive the instruction and certification necessary to effectively assist families with their housing needs. These grants, totaling $3 million, were awarded to two national organizations.

"This Administration strongly believes in the value of housing counseling services," said Jackson. "These
organizations help families make informed choices before they take the important step of homeownership. They also provide a service that is vital in today's mortgage market - they counsel families facing foreclosure and advise them about their options."

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

Of the more than $41 million in housing counseling grants, $3 million is being awarded in supplemental funding for
Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) counseling. These funds 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.

The organizations that provide housing counseling services help people become or remain homeowners or find rental housing, and assist homeless persons in finding the transitional housing they need to move toward a permanent
place to live. Grant recipients also 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, grantees help combat predatory lending by helping unwary borrowers avoid 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 on the rise 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 biennial 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; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development and enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the
Internet and espanol.hud.gov.

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Note to editors:

• State-by-state breakdown of grant recipients is available on the HUD website.
• Detailed individual grant summaries are available on the HUD website.

Local HUD contact: Chris Stearns, Field Office Director, (336) 547-4001 ext. 2064.

NORTH CAROLINA HOUSING COUNSELING GRANTS FOR FY 2007

Affordable Housing Coalition of Asheville & Buncombe Counties, Inc.
Asheville, NC
Comprehensive Counseling
$33,000.00
The Affordable Housing Coalition (AHC) of Asheville and Buncombe Counties, Inc. was founded in 1991 as a coalition
of community representatives and housing agencies. All AHC services are performed through active collaborations
with both AHC member agencies and organizations throughout the community. Special consideration is given to serving those who are: elderly or disabled, homeless or at risk for homelessness, living in substandard housing, and paying more than 30% of their income on housing. AHC is dedicated to helping families in making informed decisions with respect to, purchasing a home and directing families to safer and lower-priced rentals units.

Choanoke Area Development Association of North Carolina, Inc.
Rich Square, NC
Comprehensive Counseling
$67,000.31
Choanoke Area Development Association of North Caroline Inc. (CADA) is a HUD Certified Counseling Agency, a
four-county community action agency, a four-county community action agency, a Community Housing
Development Organization (CHDO), and a public housing agency that has provided comprehensive services for over
40 years in one of the most distressed areas of North Carolina. Serving residents of Bertie, Halifax, Hertford and Northampton Counties, all programs/services target low wealth families and have the goal of assisting families to become self-sufficient. CADA's continuing mission is to foster family and community development in order to impact family and community wealth.

Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Forsyth County, Inc.
Winston-Salem, NC
Comprehensive Counseling
$103,154.39
Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) of Forsyth County has been a HUD-approved comprehensive housing counseling agency since 1980. Through our housing counseling program, CCCS assists consumers regarding homeownership, mortgage delinquency, predatory lending, home equity conversion mortgages, renters and landlord/tenant issues. Our staff includes more than 15 Certified Housing Counselors and two Bilingual Housing Counselors, which collectively has over 50 years of financial and housing counseling experience. Services are
available to the hearing impaired via sign language, TTD, and in Spanish. CCCS works with local non-profit agencies, city and county government, local lenders, real estate agencies and others in offering pre-purchase counseling and homebuyer education.

Consumer Credit Counseling Service of WNC, Inc.
Asheville, NC
Comprehensive Counseling
$70,000.00
Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) of WNC is a non-profit, United Way agency. Since 1975 Consumer
Credit Counseling Service of Western North Carolina has been providing free, professional, confidential money management counseling, housing counseling, debt repayment programs, and education workshops. CCCS provides
pre-purchase counseling, budget development, reverse mortgage counseling, mortgage default/delinquency counseling, money management workshops, credit report access/review, and predatory lending prevention. In addition, CCCS provides a dept repayment program to help people suffering from DEBT STRESS get back on track
with unsecured debt payments. In 2006 CCCS disbursed over 3.3 millions dollars of client funds to creditors.

Cumberland Community Action Program, Inc.
Fayetteville, NC
Comprehensive Counseling
$45,000.00
Through its Consumer Credit Counseling Services program, the Cumberland Community Action Program, Inc. delivers housing, mortgage default, reverse mortgage, and credit counseling, as well as educational services through it's network of ten branch locations serving eastern North Carolina. The Agency has demonstrated with each HUD
grant that it has the ability to deliver successful completions of grant goals, while having a positive impact on the community it serves. During the 2005-2006 fiscal year, this agency has counseled over 4,900 clients on their
housing issues. Of these clients, 120 materialized their dream of becoming first time homeowners.

Durham Regional Financial Center DBA Durham Regional Community Development Group
Durham, NC
Comprehensive Counseling
$35,000.00
The Durham Regional Community Development Group (DRCDG) is a nonprofit agency that provides comprehensive counseling services to residents living in the City of Durham and Durham County. DRCDG's menu of services includes pre- and post-purchase, rental, default/delinquency, HECM and disaster recovery counseling as well as homebuyer education. DRCDG anticipates expanding the one-on-one counseling sessions and increasing its workshop offerings
to reach more people needing these specific types of counseling services. With contributions from HUD funding as
well as from other resources, the agency reached over 850 clients during FY 2005-06. With increased funding from this year's allocation, DRCDG expects to provide services to an estimated 1,000 clients.

Elizabeth City State University
Elizabeth City, NC
Comprehensive Counseling
$64,513.00
The Community Development Center located at Elizabeth City State University provides housing counseling services
to low- and moderate-income residents of rural northeastern North Carolina, including Pasquotank, Perquimans, Currituck, Camden, Gates, and Chowan Counties. Clients are counseled on a range of housing topics including homeownership, tenants' rights, evictions, default, delinquency, predatory lending, and reverse mortgage counseling. A HUD-approved agency since 1999, the agency plans to utilize this year's grant award to further its housing counseling mission with a particular focus on first-time homebuyers. Between the years of 2005-2006, the Elizabeth City State University has counseled 697 clients with a range of housing needs.

Greensboro Housing Coalition, Inc.
Greensboro, NC
Comprehensive Counseling
$36,297.00
The Greensboro Housing Coalition Inc. believes in the importance of comprehensive housing counseling services so they can provide seamless individual assistance with every aspect of finding safe, affordable housing free from discriminatory practices. As a comprehensive housing counseling agency, they provide a continuum of housing counseling services to address the needs in our community. They offer pre-purchase homebuyer counseling, counseling to resolve or prevent mortgage delinquency or default, homeless services, and HECM assistance through their programs. They also help tenants find housing, get landlords to make necessary repairs and prevent eviction. During HUD fiscal year 2005-2006, the Greensboro Housing Coalition was able to assist 367 clients.

Highland Family Resource Center, Inc.
Gastonia, NC
Comprehensive Counseling
$40,000.00
Highland Family Resource Center (HFRC) in 1999 went into a contract agreement with the City of Gastonia to
establish our Community Development Program. Their mission is to support the institution of families in the Highland community to receive comprehensive services. HFRC proposes to promote and expand homeownership opportunities
to low-income families, the elderly, homeless and renters. Their counseling services will include homebuyer education classes, individual and group counseling, rental housing assistance, foreclosure prevention, budgeting and credit counseling, and HECM referrals.

Housing Authority of the City of High Point
High Point, NC
Comprehensive Counseling
$85,077.35
The Housing Authority of the City of High Point (HPHA) was chartered in 1940 and was HUD approved in 2004. As a large authority we provide housing to the low-income residents of 1,085 units in 15 public housing communities and the residents of 1,400 under the Section 8 Housing Program. In addition, we provide eligible families and individuals with adequate and affordable housing, economic advancement, and homeownership opportunities. The Housing Authority of the City of High Point has assisted over 296 residents in becoming home-owners; we have a very
active Family Support Services Program, a vital Community Services Program, and a very successful HOPE VI Revitalization Program.

Johnston-Lee-Harnett Community Action, Inc.
Smithfield, NC
Comprehensive Counseling
$20,000.00
Johnston-Lee-Harnett Community Action, Inc. (JLHCA) is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to
provide comprehensive housing counseling services in Johnston, Lee and Harnett Counties. JLHCA provides credit counseling, pre-purchase counseling, budget and money management, and HECM counseling. In addition, JLHCA
offers Individual Development Accounts (IDA) that can be used to pursue homeownership. During the 2005-2006
fiscal year, JLHCA provided outstanding service to more than 463 clients.

Monroe Union County Community Development Corporation
Monroe, NC
Comprehensive Counseling
$40,000.00
Monroe-Union County Community Development Corporation (MUCCDC) is a nonprofit organization providing affordable single family housing to low- and moderate-income families in Union County. The agency's mission is to help families obtain affordable housing and promote local economic development through education and training. During FY 2005-2006, the agency provided one-on-one counseling services to 635 clients.

Northeastern Community Development Corporation
Camden, NC
Comprehensive Counseling
$95,923.58
Northeastern Community Development Corporation (NCDC) works in partnership with the Outer Banks Community Development Corporation. NCDC covers seven target areas Camden, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Pasquotank,
Perquimans, and Chowan. These counties are experiencing a rapid population growth. NCDC service population is
111, 823, which represents an increase of 18,837 people. Since 1990, the majority of increase is comprised of
minority groups. The above seven counties are experiencing overcrowding among low-income renters and homeowners. NCDC will be providing a comprehensive scope of counseling services to individuals residing in all
seven counties. In FY 2005-2006, 281 participants attended their Homebuyer Workshops and Predatory Lending Workshops; 254 received one-on-one First Time counseling and they assisted 27 individuals with mortgage delinquency problems.

Northwestern Regional Housing Authority
Boone, NC
Comprehensive Counseling
$49,288.00
Northwestern Regional Housing Authority (NRHA) is a public non-profit corporation which serves as a performance-based contractor for the operation of housing assistance programs funded by federal and state governments, and
for private firms in developing and managing affordable housing. In addition to the provision of direct housing assistance, NRHA participates in and actively promotes a variety of special programs, e.g. Family Self-Sufficiency, Family Investment Center, Family Unification Program, North Caroline's Home Protection Pilot Program, Section 8 Voucher Homeownership and Comprehensive Housing Counseling, which supplements our core HUD programs and
helps our assisted families move toward economic independence.

Olive Hill Community Economic Development Corporation
Morganton, NC
Comprehensive Counseling
$74,231.13
Olive Hill Community Economic Development Corp (OHCEDC) is an eight year old non-profit tax-exempt Community Development Corporation. The mission of the corporation is to positively impact the social, physical, educational
and economic environment of area communities. OHCEDC provides pre-purchase, homebuyer education, delinquency/default, non-delinquency, post-purchase, post purchase education, rental education, homeless/displacement, predatory lending and HECM counseling, in Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, McDowell and surrounding areas of North Carolina.

Outer Banks Community Development Corporation
Kill Devil Hills, NC
Comprehensive Counseling
$27,230.82
Outer Banks Community Development Corporation (OBCDC) did not receive a FY2005 HUD grant. However it did receive sub-grant funding from Northeastern Community Development Corp., of Camden, NC OBCDC's goal is to
make the community aware of their programs; enroll eligible residents in their programs, and work with clients to improve their chances of homeownership; by helping them improve their credit scores. OBCDC helps clients meet eligibility requirements to become first -time home buyers. OBCDC collaborates with various institutions, Outer
Banks Hotline, a shelter for abused spouses, Inter-Faith Council, and Methodist Ministries. OBCDC provides one-on-one housing counseling for all clients. Although it does not yet offer group education courses, it plans to introduce group housing education as affordable housing starts to become available through its production program. OBCDC
will be providing pre-purchase counseling, rental, and pre-purchase homebuyer education; in Dare, Hyde, and Currituck Counties.

Prosperity Unlimited, Inc.
Kannapolis, NC
Comprehensive Counseling
$85,077.35
Prosperity Unlimited, Inc., in Kannapolis, North Carolina has demonstrated a successful performance history for the past 13 years in pre- and post-housing counseling, home buyer's education, economic literacy and
default/foreclosure counseling for families in Cabarrus County and its surrounding area. Over the past ten years, Prosperity Unlimited Inc. has counseled in excess of 1,300 families and has helped 248 families in achieving homeownership. During the period from October 1, 2005 through September 30, 2006, the agency enrolled 145 in
its counseling program. They had 331 to complete homebuyer education and financial literacy workshops.

River City Community Development Corporation
Elizabeth City, NC
Comprehensive Counseling
$70,000.00
Located in northeast North Carolina, the River City Community Development Corporation (RCCDC) is classified as
a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for community residents through homeownership, job creation, youth development, business and economic development and cultural awareness. A driving force in its community, RCCDC has been successful in developing a 17- unit single family affordable housing subdivision, as well as an affordable housing subdivision reserved for the senior citizen community. During the 2005-2006 fiscal year, this agency was able to assist 290 clients with their various housing needs.

Rocky Mount/Edgecombe Community Development Corporation
Rocky Mount, NC
Comprehensive Counseling
$40,000.00
Rocky Mount/Edgecombe Community Corporation (RMECDC) is a non-profit organization incorporated in 1988 in the state of North Carolina to improve the community by meeting residents' needs for both economic and real estate development in the City of Rocky Mount, Edgecombe and Nash County by providing opportunities that expand homeownership, affordable housing, homebuyers education, and employment opportunities. To date, the Housing Counseling Center has counseled in one-on-one counseling sessions, over 3,914 potential homebuyers and provided group education to over 1,399 individuals.

Sandhills Community Action Program Inc.
Carthage, NC
Comprehensive Counseling
$35,135.00
Sandhills Community Action Program, Inc. (SCAP) was established in August of 1965 as a private non-profit Corporation chartered in the State of North Carolina to provide community and individual services in Anson, Montgomery, Moore and Richmond Counties. SCAP maintains a mission to develop viable approaches aimed at generating an improved quality of life for low-income people. SCAP will be providing, rental counseling, pre/post-purchase, budget & credit, predatory lending, eviction and foreclosure prevention, landlord/tenant, homebuyer education, mortgage default, housing assistance to persons with HIV/AIDS counseling.

Statesville Housing Authority
Statesville, NC
Comprehensive Counseling
$49,058.00
The Statesville Housing Authority Homeownership Program provides housing counseling services to Iredell County
and the surrounding area, with a focus on the south Statesville neighborhoods. The agency served 167 clients in
FY 2005-2006, offering services including homebuyer and post-purchase educational workshops, pre- and post-purchase counseling, mortgage refinance counseling, credit management and repair, money management and budgeting, predatory lending counseling, reverse mortgage counseling and rental assistance. Statesville Housing Authority has been pursuing the Homeownership Option with the Housing Choice Voucher Program since 2001.

Twin Rivers Opportunities Incorporation
New Bern, NC
Comprehensive Counseling
$46,000.00
Twin Rivers Opportunities (TRO) was formed in 1966 to serve Craven, Jones and Pamlico Counties. The Housing Counseling Department enables TRO, Inc. to fulfill the mission statement by assisting lower income, minority clients
to obtain homeownership. TRO partners with public and private entities to provide housing forum educational workshops for the public, to work with people that need housing assistance, and Habitat for Humanity, to help low income clients purchase a home. TRO provides pre-purchase, homebuyer education, delinquency post-purchase, HECM, post purchase education, rental, homeless/displacement, predatory lending, homeownership voucher, and
hair housing issues counseling. They currently provide rental assistance to approximately 900 tenants.

Western Piedmont Council of Governments
Hickory, NC
Comprehensive Counseling
$36,000.00
The Western Piedmont Council of Governments (WPCOG) is one of 18 leading regional organizations in North
Carolina. WPCOG is comprised of 28 local government members in the counties of Alexander, Burke, Caldwell and Catawba. The agency facilitates regional cooperation and provides local governments with technical assistance
and professional services. During the 2005-2006 fiscal year, WPCOG provided pre-purchase counseling, homebuyer education, delinquency counseling, non-delinquency post-purchase counseling, HECM counseling, post-purchase education and rental counseling to 406 clients.

Wilson Community Improvement Association, Inc.
Wilson, NC
Comprehensive Counseling
$44,550.00
Wilson Community Improvement Association (WCIA) has worked for human and economic development since 1968.
In 1978 WCIA developed a 38 unit-complex for elderly residents. WCIA was North Carolina's first organization to deliver the HUD Nehemiah program. In 1999 in the wake of Hurricane Floyd, WCIA provided counseling and affordable housing to Wilson and Greene Counties. WCIA will provide housing services to 200 clients within their community for 2008. WCIA has worked successfully to fulfill these desires and the final outcome has increased family stability through Homeownership.