HUD – Comprehensive Housing Counseling (2014)

By NLADA on July 19, 2014 • ( 0 )

Description: The purpose of HUD’s Housing Counseling Grant Program is to provide funds that shall be used for providing counseling and advice to tenants and homeowners, both current and prospective, with respect to property maintenance, financial management/ literacy, and such other matters as may be appropriate to assist them in improving their housing conditions, meeting their financial needs, and fulfilling the responsibilities of tenancy or homeownership. Funding provided by this NOFA is intended to support HUD-approved housing counseling agencies to respond flexibly to the needs of residents and neighborhoods, and deliver a wide variety of housing counseling services to homebuyers, homeowners, renters, and the homeless. This NOFA plays an integral role in the continued stabilization of our nation’s housing market by helping individuals and families obtain housing and stay in their homes through responsible homeownership or affordable rental housing. Traditionally underserved populations, such as minorities, the elderly, veterans, persons with disabilities, persons with limited English proficiency and residents of rural areas, face additional housing and economic challenges. HUD’s Comprehensive Housing Counseling Grant Program funds housing counselors who provide expert, unbiased guidance and information to help families and individuals meet their housing needs and improve their financial situations. Moreover, HUD grants assist housing counselors to act as an important safeguard against scams and discrimination, and to act as an important gateway to local, state, federal and private housing assistance.

Title: Comprehensive Housing Counseling Grant Program

Agency Name: Department of Housing and Urban Development

Funding Instrument Type: Grant

Express Language for Legal Aid: No, but legal aid has been funded in the past.

Target Population: Tenants and homeowners, both current and prospective

Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: No

How to Apply: Applications must be received by Grants.gov

Current Closing Date for Applications: 04/07/2014

Estimated Total Program Funding: $38,500,000

Eligible Applicants: All housing counseling agencies (including LHCAs, Intermediaries and MSOs) that are directly approved by HUD prior to the NOFA issue date and SHFAs are eligible for this NOFA. Housing Counseling agencies that have not received HUD approval but meet the Housing Counseling Program approval criteria at 24 C.F.R. § 214.103 are encouraged to affiliate with a HUD-approved Intermediary or SHFA. 2. Applicant and Sub-grantee Status. To be eligible to receive a grant or sub-grant under this NOFA, all Applicants, sub-grantees and funded branches must be: a. tax-exempt organizations under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. §§ 501(a) and (c), or be a unit of local, county or state government; b. in good standing under the laws and regulations of the state of their organization; and c. authorized to do business in the states in which they propose to provide housing counseling services.

Priority Consideration:

1. Distribute federal financial support to housing counseling agencies in order for them to provide efficient and successful services to consumers to address their housing and financial needs.

2. Distribute federal financial support to housing counseling agencies based on their previous track record and quality of housing counseling services.

3. Reduce the administrative cost incurred when applying for and reporting on HUD funding while maintaining essential tracking of program benefits and accountability for federal funds.

4. Leverage external resources and funding to increase the sustainability of quality housing counseling programs.

5. Ensure consumer confidence in high quality housing counseling services by preparing the housing counseling industry for additional HUD counseling standards and individual housing counseling testing and certification that may be implemented in FY 2015.

6. Ensure adequate distribution of funding amounts for rural areas having traditionally low levels of access to housing counseling services, including areas with insufficient access to the Internet.

Samples of Successful Application: 2010 part1, part2, part3, part4, part5, part6, part7

Link to Full Announcement: http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=2014chcnofa.pdf

Contact Information: Questions regarding specific program requirements should be directed to housing.counseling@hud.gov