FY 2021 Comprehensive Housing Counseling (CHC)
Purpose
Program Description
The purpose of HUD’s Comprehensive Housing Counseling (CHC) Grant Program is to provide funds to HUD-approved housing counseling agencies that provide counseling and advice to tenants and homeowners, with respect to property maintenance, financial management and literacy, and other matters as may be appropriate to assist program clients in improving their housing conditions, meeting their financial needs, and fulfilling the responsibilities of tenancy or homeownership. This NOFO plays an integral role in helping individuals and families obtain housing and stay in their homes through responsible homeownership or affordable rental housing. Housing counseling agencies are an important safeguard in the prevention of housing scams and discrimination and serve as an important gateway to local, state, federal, and private housing assistance and resources.
Objectives and Priorities of this NOFO
The objectives and priorities of this NOFO include but are not limited to:
- Distributing federal financial support to eligible housing counseling agencies to enable them to provide quality services to consumers to address their housing and financial needs.
- Distributing federal financial support to eligible Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Tribal Colleges and Universities, and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) to provide quality services to consumers to address their housing and financial needs.
- Distributing federal financial support to eligible housing counseling agencies based on past performance.
- Reducing the costs to program participants when applying for and reporting on HUD funding while maintaining accountability for federal funds.
- Leveraging external resources and funding to increase the sustainability of quality housing counseling programs.
- Supporting the housing counseling industry in implementing counselor certification to increase the quality, consistency, and effectiveness of housing counseling.
- Ensuring distribution of funding amounts for rural areas with low levels of access to housing counseling services.
- Providing housing counseling services to traditionally underserved populations, such as people of color, seniors, veterans, persons with disabilities, and persons with limited English proficiency.
Available Funds
Funding of approximately $ 51,000,000 is available through this NOFO. HUD expects to make approximately 250 awards from the funds available under this NOFO.
Preference Points
HUD may award no more than two (2) points for any of the three (3) preferences: Opportunity Zones (OZ), Promise Zones (PZ), or Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). Each preference is worth two points and only one preference can apply to any situation, meaning that applicants will ONLY be awarded 2 points for being within an OZ, PZ, or involving HBCUs.
Program Office: Office of Housing
Funding Opportunity Title: Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Department’s Fiscal Year 2021 Comprehensive Housing Counseling Grant Program
Assistance Listing Number: 14.169
FAIN Number: FR-6500-N-33
OMB Approval Numbers: 2502-0261
Estimated Opening Date: September 14, 2021
Estimated Deadline Date: October 14, 2021