From: Housing.Counseling  
Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 4:16 PM 
To: 'SF-HOUSING-COUNSELING-L@hudlist.hud.gov' 
Subject: HUD Consumer Education Campaign

The purpose of this email is to inform you that HUD will launch a consumer education campaign in six cities 
(New York, Miami, Chicago, Detroit, Phoenix, Los Angeles) beginning January 14th.  The goal of the 
campaign is to encourage distressed homeowners to seek assistance early from a HUD-approved housing 
counseling agency.  The campaign includes print, radio and TV public service announcements.  
 
We are contacting you because we know you may have an affiliate/branch in one of the target markets and 
we want you and your affiliate to be aware of the potential increase in demand for default counseling.  
Through the campaign HUD will promote a new  toll free number for  HUD’s Housing Counseling Program-
877-HUD-4321. This number will connect callers to HUD’s voice response system where the caller can 
select the type of counseling service they want and enter their zip code and will provide the caller with the 
choice of three counseling agencies in that zip code.  The current HUD Housing Counseling Program’s toll 
free number (800-569-4287) will remain in effect as well.  Both numbers will feed into the same voice 
response system.
 
HUD wants to encourage all HUD approved agencies providing default counseling in these cities to 
participate in this campaign.  However, the Department understands that the demand for foreclosure 
prevention counseling has increased dramatically for many agencies this year and is straining capacity.  If 
your affiliate/branch cannot handle a further increase in requests for default counseling at this time you have 
the option to not have your agency name and telephone number listed in the voice response system.
 
As you are aware, an agency’s telephone number that is listed through HUD’s toll free number is generated 
from the agency’s profile information in HUD’s Housing Counseling System (HCS).  If your agency cannot 
handle at this time an increase in call volume that this campaign may generate then you have the option of 
amending your agency profile in HCS and deselecting one or more services that are listed.  For example, if 
you are providing default counseling you could deselect this service from your agency profile and your 
agency would no longer be included as an option for default counseling in the toll free number listing. 
 
If you have any questions, you can call me at (202)402-2112 or speak with your GTR.
 
Sincerely,
 

Director, Program Support Division
Office of Single Family Housing
Department of Housing and Urban Development