HUD No. 23-122 HUD Public Affairs (202) 708-0685

FOR RELEASE Wednesday June 21, 2023

HUD Announces First of its Kind Housing Counseling Advisory Committee Meeting at Japanese American National Museum

Committee meeting in Los Angeles will focus on strategies for reaching Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Households

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Housing Counseling is hosting its next Housing Counseling Federal Advisory Committee (HCFAC) meeting at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, CA on Thursday, June 29, 2023. Open to the public; the meeting will reinforce HUD’s ongoing efforts to reach deeper into Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities through housing counseling services that are responsive to their cultural practices, preferred languages, and communication needs. It is the first HCFAC meeting to be held outside HUD’s Headquarters in Washington, DC, in at least five years.

At this convening, the HCFAC will be joined by National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development members and staff to discuss how to meet best the housing needs of a community that speaks more than 40 languages. The group will also consider the challenges households with limited English proficiency face as they pursue homeownership. The meeting follows HUD’s June 13, 2023, release of a large number of Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage documents and educational materials translated into Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.

“There is a critical need to reach more homebuyers and renters through housing counseling, including those in the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community,” said Assistant Secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner Julia Gordon. “This HCFAC meeting reinforces our dedication to removing barriers to homeownership in underserved communities, including language access challenges that can pose an obstacle to achieving successful homeownership.”

“We look forward to connecting with our partners at the Japanese American National Museum, a cultural landmark in the heart of Los Angeles, which many members of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander live and call home,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary for Housing Counseling David Berenbaum. “Similar to our recently launched ‘Let’s Make Home the Goal’ campaign, this is part of our ongoing efforts to reach more potential homebuyers, provide appropriate counseling that meets their cultural and language needs, and educate the next generation of home seekers about the benefits of housing counseling services.

About HUD’s Housing Counseling Federal Advisory Committee:

HUD established the Housing Counseling Federal Advisory Committee in April 2015 to advise HUD’s Office of Housing Counseling on how to carry out its functions. The Committee provides a forum for those involved in housing counseling to offer advice directly to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Housing Counseling on ways to accomplish the objectives of HUD’s Office of Housing Counseling. All Committee meetings are open to the public. For additional information about the Housing Counseling Federal Advisory Committee, and to register to attend the meeting in person or online, visit HUD Exchange.