The


U.S.
Department
of
Housing
and
Urban
Development
(HUD)
announced
Monday
the
availability
of
$10
million
in
new
grants
to
be
distributed
to
23
HUD-approved

counseling
agencies
nationwide,
which
will
help
the
department
boost
homeownership
rates
within
historically
underserved
communities.

Announced
Monday
morning
in
Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania,
by


Federal
Housing
Administration
(FHA)
Commissioner

Julia
Gordon,
the
funds
“will
support
activities
by
these
agencies
to
prepare
and
equip
prospective
homebuyers
to
successfully
navigate
the
homebuying
process”
so
they
can
locate
affordable
homes,
HUD
explained.

Gordon
made
the
announcement
from
the

Pennsylvania
Housing
Finance
Agency,
which
will
receive
“more
than
$479,000
through
this
funding
opportunity
to
support
their
network
of
affiliates
in
delivering
homeownership
counseling
programs
to
underserved
communities
throughout
the
state,”
HUD
stated.

“Housing
counseling
agencies
play
a
unique
and
critical
role
in
helping
first-time
homebuyers
achieve
homeownership,”
said
Commissioner
Gordon.
“Today’s
grant
awards
will
help
housing
counseling
agencies
throughout
the
country
reach
those
who
may
never
have
believed
they
could
own
a
home
and
help
them
to
prepare
for,
enter
into,
and
maintain
homeownership.”

David
Berenbaum,
HUD’s
deputy
assistant
secretary
for
housing
counseling,
added
that
this
program
will
play
a
key
role
in
linking
prospective
homebuyers
who
are
part
of
historically
underserved
communities
with
resources
they
may
have
been
previously
unaware
of
or
had
not
been
able
to
access
easily.

“We
intend
to
make
this
initiative
a
model
for
the
funding
of
future
programs
that
can
directly
and
effectively
serve
first-time
homebuyers
in
underserved
communities,”
he
said.
“New
homeowners
will
have
the
benefit
of
both
pre-
and
post-purchase
housing
counseling
from
a
trusted
advisor:
the
HUD
Certified
Housing
Counselor.”

A
full
list
of
the
23
beneficiary
organizations
is
available
on

HUD’s
website.
The
largest
beneficiary
is
the

Massachusetts-based

Neighborhood
Stabilization
Corporation,
which
will
receive
just
under
$1.2
million.
The
second-largest
disbursement
will
go
to
the

New
York-based

National
Urban
League,
which
will
receive
$986,260.

Last
week,
HUD

announced
a
final
rule
designed
to
expand
support
for
housing
counseling
services
within
Native
American
tribal
communities.

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