Housing Action Illinois Awarded $1.2 Million in Housing Counseling Funds

33 Agencies to Receive Sub-Grants to Help Families Rent or Buy Affordable Homes

CHICAGO – HUD has awarded $1,259,176 to Housing Action Illinois to distribute funds to local nonprofits whose housing counseling programs help families rent or buy safe, affordable homes and prevent foreclosures. This year’s network of 33 housing counseling agencies, listed below, serve low- and moderate-income communities in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Missouri.

Each HUD-approved housing counseling agency in Housing Action’s network will receive between $12,000 and $46,000. In addition to providing the organizations with financial support, Housing Action assists with administrative functions and offers training and one-on-one guidance to help agencies become more efficient, expand their programs, and develop staff skills to meet changing needs.

The agencies provide community residents with guidance on budgeting, renting, and purchasing a home. Housing counselors help families access mortgages and manage mortgage delinquency, avoid discriminatory or predatory lending practices, and prevent foreclosure and homelessness. Last year, from October 2017 to June 2018, Housing Action’s affiliate network helped 10,552 households understand their housing options, and a quarter of these households also created healthy budgets.

“Essentially, what this award means is that we can help thousands more families in the region understand their housing options,” Housing Action’s Director of Capacity Building, David Young explains. “By expanding our network and increasing our sub-grants, we create more opportunities for families and communities to thrive.” Housing Action Illinois became a HUD-approved Intermediary in 2014; in the four years since, its network has nearly tripled, and its HUD award has quadrupled.

“Access to knowledge and information is vital to every family’s success,” says Isaias Solis, Director of Programs at Latin United Community Housing Association (LUCHA), one of the network’s most recently added affiliate organizations. “The evidence is clear and undisputed: housing counseling works. We look forward to working with Housing Action Illinois and our network of affiliates to continue to empower families with the tools they need to prosper to achieve their American Dream.”

HUD Housing Counseling Intermediary Affiliates 2018 – 2019

• Access Living – Chicago, IL
• Advantage Housing, Inc. – Kokomo, IN
• Brightpoint – Ft. Wayne, IN
• CDBG Operations Corporation – E. St. Louis, IL
• CEDA – Chicago, IL
• C.E.F.S. – Effingham, IL
• Center for Changing Lives – Chicago, IL
• Central Detroit Christian CDC – Detroit, MI
• Community Investment Corporation (CIC) of Decatur – Decatur, IL
• Community Service Council of Northern Will County – Bolingbrook, IL
• Consumer Credit Counseling Center of NWI – Merrillville, IN
• The Housing Partnership, Inc. – St. Louis, MO
• Embarras River Basin Agency – Greenup, IL
• Ford Heights Community Service Organization – Ford Heights, IL
• Genesis Housing Development Corporation – Chicago, IL
• Habitat for Humanity of Champaign County – Champaign, IL
• H.O.M.E. DuPage – Wheaton, IL
• HOPE of Evansville – Evansville, IN
• Housing Opportunities – Valparaiso, IN
• Housing Opportunity Development Corporation – Techny, IL
• Justine Petersen, Inc. – St. Louis, MO
• Kingdom Community – Chicago, IL
• Latin United Community Housing Association (LUCHA)
• Menard County Housing Authority – Petersburg, IL
• METEC – Peoria, IL
• Northside CDC – Chicago, IL
• Oak Park Regional Housing Center – Oak Park, IL
• Open Communities – Evanston, IL
• Respond Now – Chicago Heights, IL
• Restoration America – Crystal Lake, IL
• South Suburban Housing Center – Homewood, IL
• Total Resource Community Development Corporation – Chicago, IL
• Western Egyptian Economic Opportunity Corporation – Steeleville, IL