33 Agencies to Receive Sub-Grants to Help Families Rent or Buy Affordable Homes
For Immediate Release: October 8, 2019
Contact: Kristin Ginger, Communications Manager, Housing Action Illinois, kristin@housingactionil.org or 312-854-3333
CHICAGO – HUD has awarded $1,200,141 to Housing Action Illinois to distribute funds to local nonprofits whose housing counseling programs help families rent or buy safe, affordable homes and prevent foreclosures. This year’s network of 33 housing counseling agencies, listed below, serve communities in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Missouri.
“Housing counseling is all about helping people understand their options and make informed decisions,” Housing Action’s Director of Capacity Building, David Young explains. “Our affiliate agencies help families become educated homeowners and empower renters, which in turn helps make our communities stronger.”
HUD awarded housing counseling grants to 207 recipients across the country, and Housing Action Illinois is proud to have received the 7th largest award. Each HUD-approved agency in Housing Action’s network will receive between $18,000 and $50,000 for FY2019. In addition to providing the organizations with financial support, Housing Action assists with administrative functions and offers training and one-on-one guidance to help agencies become more effective, expand their programs, and develop staff skills to meet changing needs.
Housing counseling agencies provide community residents with guidance on budgeting, renting, and purchasing a home. Housing counselors help families access mortgages and manage mortgage delinquency, avoid discriminatory or predatory lending practices, and prevent foreclosure and homelessness.
“Because of these funds, Justine PETERSEN is able to impact the lives of over 200 households on an annual basis,” says Robert Boyle, CEO of Justine PETERSEN. “The HUD housing counseling grant funds and technical assistance support that we receive through our intermediary partnership with Housing Action Illinois ensures we are able to deliver comprehensive counseling services for low- to moderate-income households throughout the St. Louis metro region, including homebuyer education, one-on-one pre-purchase housing counseling, and one-on-one foreclosure prevention counseling.”
Housing Action Illinois became a HUD-approved Intermediary in 2014, and in the five years since, its network has nearly tripled, and its HUD award has quadrupled. In 2018, Housing Action’s affiliate network helped:
- 15,982 households understand their housing options
- 1,835 households prevent or resolve a mortgage default
- 1,733 households improve their finances
- 486 households buy their first home
- 431 households find temporary or permanent housing while facing homelessness
“Lake County Housing Authority is very excited to be a part of the Housing Action Illinois Intermediary,” stated Ofelia Navarro, Deputy Director of Lake County Housing Authority (LCHA), which is Housing Action’s newest affiliate. “We are grateful for the technical assistance they have provided, which makes certain that LCHA remains in good standing with our HUD certification and funding. HUD funding allows the LCHA Housing Counseling program to ensure that economically diverse families can live and prosper in a quality, safe and healthy environment.”
HUD Housing Counseling Intermediary Affiliates 2019 – 2020
- Access Living – Chicago, IL
- Advantage Housing, Inc. – Kokomo, IN
- Brightpoint – Ft. Wayne, IN
- CDBG Operations Corporation – E. St. Louis, IL
- CEDA – Chicago, IL
- C.E.F.S. – Effingham, IL
- Center for Changing Lives – Chicago, IL
- Central Detroit Christian CDC – Detroit, MI
- Community Investment Corporation (CIC) of Decatur – Decatur, IL
- Community Service Council of Northern Will County – Bolingbrook, IL
- Embarras River Basin Agency – Greenup, IL
- Ford Heights Community Service Organization – Ford Heights, IL
- Genesis Housing Development Corporation – Chicago, IL
- H.O.M.E. DuPage – Wheaton, IL
- HOPE of Evansville – Evansville, IN
- Housing Opportunities – Valparaiso, IN
- Housing Opportunity Development Corporation – Techny, IL
- The Housing Partnership, Inc. – St. Louis, MO
- Justine Petersen, Inc. – St. Louis, MO
- Kingdom Community – Chicago, IL
- Lake County Housing Authority – Grayslake, IL
- Latin United Community Housing Association (LUCHA) – Chicago, IL
- Menard County Housing Authority – Petersburg, IL
- METEC – Peoria, IL
- Northside CDC – Chicago, IL
- Oak Park Regional Housing Center – Oak Park, IL
- Open Communities – Evanston, IL
- Partners in Community Building – Chicago, IL
- Respond Now – Chicago Heights, IL
- Restoration America – Crystal Lake, IL
- South Suburban Housing Center – Homewood, IL
- Total Resource Community Development Corporation – Chicago, IL
- Western Egyptian Economic Opportunity Corporation – Steeleville, IL
