The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the availability of a newly updated certification exam for housing counselors. The exam and associated training materials are now available in Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese. Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Housing Counseling David Berenbaum made the announcement at the UNIDOS US Annual Conference Latino Homeownership Meeting in Las Vegas, NV.
“Throughout our programs, we continue to work to remove barriers to purchasing or renting a home. We want the HUD certification process to support housing counselors who can capably assist a diverse range of client populations and languages,” said Assistant Secretary for Housing Julia Gordon.
All counselors must pass the HUD certification exam to ensure consumers receive accurate, relevant, and quality housing counseling services. Updates to the exam include new questions that incorporate counseling scenarios relevant to current client needs, refreshed training and practice exam questions, and a newly updated Housing Counseling Certification Exam website where counselors can find both the certification exam and HUD’s Home Equity Conversion Mortgage counselor exam.
HUD-certified housing counselors provide various services, including financial and homebuyer education, foreclosure and eviction prevention counseling, disaster relief and recovery counseling, among others. There are over 4,300 HUD-certified housing counselors and more than 1,480 HUD-approved housing counseling agencies currently serving more than one million clients each year.
“With our updated exam and new availability in multiple languages, we are continuing to ensure that the vital role of HUD-certified housing counselors is relevant and accessible to all,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary David Berenbaum. “Including in-language resources for counselors who work with clients whose preferred language is not English enables culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate counseling.”
To find a HUD-approved housing counseling agency, visit hud.gov/findacounselor or call toll-free at 800-569-4287 (202-708-1455 TTY).
