News Release

HUD ANNOUNCES $135,000 IN HOUSING COUNSELING GRANTS TO FOUR HOUSING COUNSELING ORGANIZATIONS IN LOUISIANA
Jefferson, Lafayette, New Orleans and Shreveport Agencies Receive Awards

NEW ORLEANS - Louisiana families facing foreclosure, seeking affordable rental housing, or hoping to buy their first home will have a greater opportunity to find housing, or keep the homes they have, because of $135,871 in housing counseling grants announced today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (see attached list).

"Now, more than ever, it is crucial that Americans understand how to manage their money, how to navigate the homebuying process, and how to secure their financial future." said Donovan. "This critical funding will help counseling organizations continue to assist families in making more informed choices before they buy a home and counsel families facing foreclosure."

Housing counseling grants will assist families in becoming first-time homeowners and remaining homeowners after their purchase. HUD-approved counseling agencies not only provide homeownership counseling, but also offer financial literacy training to renters and homeless individuals and families.

In addition, grantees help combat predatory lending by helping unwary borrowers review their loan documentation, and 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. And foreclosure prevention counseling helps homeowners facing delinquency or default to employ strategies, including expense reduction, negotiation with lenders and loan servicers, and loss mitigation that can avoid foreclosure. With foreclosures at critical levels nationwide, these services are more important than ever.

The funding announced today is part of $60 million in housing counseling grants awarded nationwide. These grants will support the direct provision of housing counseling services by 24 national and regional organizations, five multi-state organizations, and 463 state and local housing counseling agencies. In addition, HUD is awarding $5 million to three national organizations to train approximately 4,400 counselors who will receive the instruction and certification necessary to effectively assist families with their housing needs.

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. The Louisiana grantees are:

Lafayette Consolidated Government Neighborhood Counseling Services
Lafayette, LA
$40,942 - Comprehensive Counseling

The Neighborhood Counseling Services Program is a HUD-approved comprehensive housing counseling agency under the Human Services Division of Lafayette Consolidated Government. The agency has been in existence for over 36 years and is staffed by certified housing counselors. Neighborhood Counseling Services Program provides one-on-one pre- and post-purchase counseling, tenancy, reverse mortgage, and default/delinquency mortgage counseling. Group education is provided through home ownership training, homebuyers club, home maintenance classes, financial literacy, budget and credit counseling, and reverse mortgage seminars and workshops. The agency also maintains a housing discrimination complaint hotline and provides general information on landlord/tenant rights and responsibilities. Website

Jefferson Community Action Program
Jefferson, LA
$26,992 - Comprehensive Counseling

Jefferson Community Action Programs (JEFFCAP) was founded in 1965 during the evolution of the Great Society Programs. In 1978 Jefferson Parish reorganized its administrative structure and JEFFCAP became a department of the parish. Today JEFFCAP is a multi-service agency serving low- to moderate- income residents with seven community centers in Jefferson Parish. As a HUD-approved housing counseling agency since 1974, JEFFCAP provides customers with housing counseling services that include: educational and outreach training, such as financial fitness training; first-time homebuyer training; predatory lending; post-purchase counseling; individual development accounts; pre-purchase counseling; mortgage delinquency/default counseling; reverse mortgage counseling for elderly homeowners; and tenancy counseling. For additional information about JEFFCAP's programs and services visit the agency's website.

Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center
New Orleans, LA
$32,236 - Comprehensive Counseling

The Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center (GNOFHAC) is a private, nonprofit, civil rights organization that was established in 1995 to eradicate housing discrimination throughout the greater New Orleans area. Through education, investigation, enforcement activities, and housing counseling, GNOFHAC promotes fair competition throughout the housing marketplace - rental, sales, lending, and insurance. GNOFHAC is dedicated to fighting housing discrimination, not only because it is illegal, but also because it is a divisive force that perpetuates poverty, segregation, ignorance, fear, and hate. In 2006, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, GNOFHAC launched the Hurricane Relief and Homeownership Protect Project (HRP) in collaboration with the National Fair Housing Alliance to assist homeowners with their hurricane recovery needs. Since that time, the HRP has assisted homeowners with their hurricane recovery needs, has assisted homeowners with foreclosure prevention activities, and has performed post-purchase home rehabilitation counseling which has led to loan modifications. Website.

Volunteers of America of North Louisiana
Shreveport, LA
$28,740 - Comprehensive Counseling
$6,961 - Loan Documentation Review Counseling

Volunteers of America of North Louisiana (VOA) is a national nonprofit organization which provides human service programs and opportunities for individual and community development. Founded in 1896, VOA's innovative services respond to community needs to help abused and neglected children, youth at risk, the elderly, the disabled, the homeless, and many others. Since 1968, VOA has had a special focus on developing and managing affordable housing. As the nation's largest nonprofit provider of quality affordable housing, VOA has developed a markedly different approach to managing housing communities nationwide. It is a unique approach that teams property management with residents of the community to work together. The Volunteers of America of North Louisiana housing counseling agency provides comprehensive credit counseling, budget counseling, pre-purchase counseling, the first-time homebuyer's class, the FDIC financial literacy class, loss mitigation and loan documentation review services.

More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.

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