FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 24, 2015
CONTACT: David Young, Director of Technical Assistance, Housing Action Illinois, at 312-939-6074 ext. 202 or david@housingactionil.org
Housing Action Illinois received $307,000 to channel resources to 12 housing counseling agencies working in Illinois and Indiana communities. This is Housing Action’s first award as a HUD Approved Housing Counseling Intermediary serving the Midwest.
As a result of this award, the 12 housing counseling agencies listed below will each receive between $21,000 and $27,500 to serve low- and moderate-income households in Illinois and Indiana. The agencies work with clients to improve their financial management and budgeting skills, gain home-buying skills, avoid predatory lenders, address mortgage delinquency and default, avert foreclosure, and prevent homelessness.
“Housing Action thanks HUD for investing in Illinois and Indiana communities” stated Sharon Legenza, Executive Director of Housing Action Illinois. “This award allows us to help housing counseling agencies maximize operational efficiencies and provide more tools to clients working to improve their finances, provide secure homes for their families, and build better lives.”
For over a decade, Housing Action has provided valuable training and programmatic assistance to housing counseling agencies, particularly as the foreclosure crisis put tens of thousands of families in the region at risk. Becoming a HUD Approved Intermediary was a natural extension of Housing Action’s mission and reflects the collaborative approach it takes to build the capacity of nonprofits serving local communities.
“As an Intermediary, Housing Action provides critical infrastructure support to affiliated agencies in the areas of managing funding, reporting, training, and identifying upcoming funding opportunities,” explained David Young, Housing Action’s Director of Training and Technical Assistance. “We see this first award as just the beginning of how we can work together to bring much-needed resources to the region so families and communities can achieve their goals.”
“After we obtained our HUD Approved Housing Counseling Agency designation last year, with Housing Action’s assistance, we knew we wanted to join their Intermediary,” stated Carl Wolf, Executive Director of Respond Now which serves southeast Chicago and northwest Indiana. “It was important to us that Housing Action Illinois knew us and the communities we serve.”
Housing Action is partnering with the Indiana Association of Community Economic Development (IACED) to promote Housing Action’s Intermediary with their housing counseling agency members in Indiana. “One of IACED’s strategic goals is to secure additional resources for our members and state,” said Andy Fraizer, Executive Director of IACED. “We’re thrilled to be able to partner with Housing Action to leverage their housing counseling capacity-building expertise to strengthen families’ financial skills – and their communities.”
2015 Housing Action Affiliated Housing Counseling Agencies
- Access Living, Chicago, IL
- Bethel New Life, Chicago, IL
- CDBG Operation Corp., East St. Louis, IL
- Embarrass River Basin Agency, Greenup, IL
- Ford Heights Community Service Organization, Ford Heights, IL
- Housing Opportunities, Valparaiso, IN
- Institute For Consumer Credit Education, Tinley Park, IL
- Indiana Legal Services, Indianapolis, IN
- Menard County Housing Authority, Petersburg, IL
- Oak Park Regional Housing Authority, Oak Park, IL
- Respond Now, Chicago Heights, IL
- Western Egyptian Economic Opportunity Corporation, Steeleville, IL
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Housing Action Illinois is a statewide coalition formed to protect and expand the availability of quality, affordable housing. Its organizational members include housing counseling agencies, homeless service providers, developers of affordable housing and policymakers. Together we empower communities to thrive through policy advocacy, education and the allocation of resources. Our technical assistance work increases the capacity of nonprofit developers and housing counseling agencies. In turn, these organizations serve low- and moderate-income households, helping to provide a place to call home, thereby strengthening the community at large. At Housing Action Illinois, we believe that a stronger Illinois begins at home.