The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced $48 million in funding to expand access to housing counseling services and strengthen the nation's housing counseling workforce. Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman made the announcement during remarks at the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials’ National Conference.
This funding will support more than 160 HUD-approved housing counseling agencies, state housing finance agencies, educational institutions, and various non-profit organizations. The initiative aims to advance homeownership opportunities, particularly for first-time and historically disadvantaged homebuyers.
“Buying a home and keeping a home can be an overwhelming experience, particularly for first-time homebuyers,” said HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman. “HUD-certified housing counselors are available to help every step of the way. They provide vital information about available resources, such as downpayment assistance. We value the work housing counseling do to provide expert advice and will continue to fight for funding to support their efforts.”
The awarded funds will aid organizations that offer housing counseling services, train professionals in this field, and deliver educational resources on topics like pre-purchase homebuying, financial literacy, foreclosure prevention, rental eviction prevention, reverse mortgage counseling, disaster recovery, appraisal bias, and heirs’ property management. Among the recipients are 14 HUD-approved agencies partnering with Historically Black Colleges and Universities to provide educational resources aimed at bridging the racial homeownership gap.
“For so many individuals and families, finding a safe and affordable housing options may seem out of reach,” said Assistant Secretary of Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner Julia R. Gordon. “Unbiased housing counseling helps to turn the aspiration of obtaining safe and affordable place to call home into reality.”
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, HUD has intensified its efforts to support Americans in achieving homeownership by backing housing counselors nationwide. As part of these efforts, HUD launched a new partnership with Zillow this month under the "Let’s Make Home the Goal" campaign. This partnership aims to raise awareness about pre-purchase housing counseling among communities of color to dismantle systemic barriers to homeownership.
Additionally, HUD has modernized rules allowing approved agencies to use virtual methods for broader access. In 2023, HUD updated its Housing Counseling Program Handbook, now available in multiple languages.
For more information or to locate a HUD-approved housing counseling agency nationwide, visit www.hud.gov/findacounselor.
