Housing Counselor Updates | Housing Action Illinois

Strengthening Local Community through Jefferson County at Home

Natalie Floreancig — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 18:15:30 +0000

RoxAnne Witte, a housing counselor with Jefferson County at Home, Housing Action’s newest subgrantee, has noticed the gap between those who pursue housing counseling services and those who don’t widen over her 19-year career. “It’s changed a lot. When we first started people had their 20% for a down payment. Now, you don’t see a lot of that. It’s either that they need a lot of help or they’re over the income limit [to receive a grant] and I don’t see them…We very seldom see people over the grant limit come into our office. They figure ‘I don’t need it. I got the down payment. I’m good to go.’” However, RoxAnne and her colleagues at Jefferson County are working to spread the word about housing counseling services and increase housing options in the County.

RoxAnne first became involved with the county through a part-time position while working at a nonprofit in the area that focused on housing counseling. After the nonprofit closed, RoxAnne and other staff members at the county saw that there was still a need for housing counseling in the area and started offering counseling services directly through the county.

Until a requirement that all housing counselors pass an exam to become HUD-certified, Jefferson County offered counseling services independently. If the agency hadn’t become certified, “We would not have been able to do the counseling for any of the people that were looking at buying homes in Jefferson County,” RoxAnne explains. “We would have been sending [clients] out to Madison or Milwaukee, which is 45 minutes from us.” In Jefferson County, “We’re more rural. So a lot of my stuff is still face to face. My people use cell phones. They don’t have computers, so trying to look at a loan estimate or closing document on a cell phone just doesn’t quite cut it.“

The HUD certification has also allowed Jefferson County to work with clients throughout more of the homebuying process. “Before our HUD certification, people would come in [once they had accepted an offer], and we would do their counseling…Now, because of HUD certification, they can come in anywhere along the way. So someone could want to buy a house a year from now versus just someone who has accepted an offer and is closing soon. Now we take them all where before, it was just anybody who had an accepted offer.”

RoxAnne is also careful to ensure that her clients will be able to continue to afford their homes after a purchase. “I think the hardest part is telling somebody, ‘You’re not quite ready, you need to save a little more, the budget needs to be tweaked a little bit.’ I don’t want you to be house rich and cash poor.I want you to be able to afford it, and I don’t want to see you in six months back saying I need help with my budget. I can’t make my house payment.” This approach leads to longer term success but relies on more involved counseling from RoxAnne and her colleagues.

Jefferson County’s housing counseling program has recently moved into their department of economic development, which allows for collaboration on tackling housing issues. “Right now it’s kind of tough,” says RoxAnne. “There’s not a lot out here that they can afford or is available. Part of what we’re doing now in economic development is looking at developers to put up homes. We know a lot of the newer homes that are going up are going to be a little out of range for the clientele that I work for, but we’re hoping that the starter homes that those people are selling are the ones that my clients would be able to afford.” These collaborations between housing counselors and other branches of the Department of Economic Development allow for a more comprehensive solution to housing problems in the area.

In addition to the financial challenges faced by her clients, RoxAnne has also sometimes found it challenging to convince people that housing counseling services are worth it. “Some of these programs require code inspection and all these other things, and some people think ‘I don’t want to do that. I’m going to just get the straight loan. I don’t want to apply for the grant because then I have to jump through all these other hoops.” However, RoxAnne and the other employees rely on relationships with lenders and realtors throughout the county to spread the word about their services. “Our real estate agents are asking ‘have you been to the bank yet?’ a lot more. And when they go to the bank, the bank is going to say ‘You qualify for the grants. Go see RoxAnne over at Jefferson County.’” She also mentions that word often spreads between friends.

There are many initiatives to look forward to in Jefferson County. “I’m excited that we’re going to have new employees [working in housing counseling]. We’ve also got homes that Habitat [for Humanity] is putting up. We’ve got four new industries that are coming into Jefferson County.” The growth of these industries coincides with the growth of Jefferson County at Home as a housing counseling provider, allowing for them to help the people of Jefferson County take full advantage of the opportunities provided.

Expanding Homeowner Support through a New HUD Program: Spotlight on H.O.M.E. DuPage

Natalie Floreancig — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 21:59:45 +0000

“I always thought that I wanted to help people,” explains Maria Luengas, Executive Director of H.O.M.E. DuPage, when asked how she ended up in the field of housing counseling. But in her prior work, “I wasn’t necessarily helping people with their goals. So I looked for something, and I saw this housing counseling position, and because I had a mortgage background and I spoke Spanish, they gave me an opportunity.” After getting her certifications, Maria began her work as a housing counselor, leading to over ten years of experience in the field and ultimately the position of executive director, a role in which she has helped H.O.M.E. DuPage expand their housing counseling services to guide more people in achieving their financial goals.

Many people don’t know about the potential benefits of housing counseling services, which can help clients with a variety of challenges, including navigating purchasing a home, getting a mortgage, funding home repairs, and the foreclosure process. “We go to community events all the time and people say ‘I didn’t know,’” Maria says. “Our services tend to be free, although this depends on the program,” she adds. “We do have a couple of people that say ‘Oh really, you’re free?’ and they are hesitant to start the process, but once they realize [they’re] getting this information they come back and say ‘I am so glad that I went through this.’”

H.O.M.E. DuPage has been a member of Housing Action for more than 20 years and is one of 34 sub-grantees in our Housing Action Counseling Network. When Housing Action was awarded just over $600,000 from HUD through a newly launched Homeownership Initiative program, we were able to sub-grant funds to a handful of agencies, including H.O.M.E. DuPage. The goal of the new program is to promote sustainable homeownership by providing access to quality housing counseling services and for housing counselors to build strong relationships with clients. “The purpose of that program is to get people to get a mortgage, to be able to purchase a home, and then come back. It’s purchasing a home and actually coming back to see where you’re at with your finances after you purchased,” Maria explained. The housing counselors have found that a major barrier to homeownership was budgeting. “A lot of the people‘s highest expense was fast food. So once they realized that they were spending $700-$800 a week on fast food, and that could actually help them if they reduced that amount. That can actually go towards the mortgage payment or the extra expenses of when you are now a homeowner and you have to do the repairs and the maintenance.”

The Homeownership Initiative also has provided a launching pad for the development of H.O.M.E. DuPage’s new post-purchase counseling workshop. Maria explains, “if you’re going to do pre-purchase counseling, we want to be able to see you all the way through and not [only] see you when you’re having problems making your mortgage payment.”

Inspired by the grant’s follow-up structure, H.O.M.E. DuPage is developing their post-purchase workshop to provide a structured way to stay in touch with clients who have purchased homes. Although some are hesitant to attend a one-on-one appointment, “ If we say ‘we’re going to have a workshop and we’re going to talk about what your mortgage statement looks like,’or ‘we’re going to have a handyman talk about what you can do around the house for maintenance,’ maybe that’s going to incentivize them as well,” says Maria.

H.O.M.E. DuPage continues to expand their programming even beyond topics directly related to the grant. “One of our two coaches, Jill Kimak, just received certification for the NACCC credit counseling. The other coach, Nereida Ortega, is working on that as well, and I just started providing reverse mortgage counseling,” Maria says. H.O.M.E. DuPage has a lot planned for the coming year, but all of it is essential to ensuring more Illinoisans can get and remain in their homes.

New Data Standards Open Doors for Housing Counselors & Clients

Natalie Floreancig — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 16:22:49 +0000

Most people have never heard of the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization (MISMO) or thought much about data sets—but for the past eight years, David Young, Director of Capacity Building at Housing Action, has been working to show why both matter for housing counseling.

On October 1, MISMO released its new housing counseling dataset, concluding an eight-year effort by David and other housing counseling advocates to align the field’s data with the standards already used throughout the mortgage industry. Having these standards makes communication much easier among housing counseling client management systems, originations, and servicing systems.

In the past, limited availability and lack of standard data added hurdles to collaboration. Recognizing the need to fix this, the NHRC (National Housing Resource Center), a national housing counseling advocacy organization, spearheaded an effort to collect and standardize data. David and his partners undertook the long process of reaching out to over 1,000 housing counseling agencies across the country and combed through over 4,000 existing MISMO data points to find information relevant to housing counseling.

“We did not expect it to be an eight year journey when it first started in 2017,” said David. “But the publication of the data set on October 1 couldn’t have happened at a better time, since right now it’s also critical for us to show how important housing counseling is for our communities and to have specific data on how our programs help households. We will work with our client management system developers, HUD’s office of housing counseling, and financial institutions and servicers to socialize and implement this data set to benefit consumers.”

David Young (far left) facilitates a panel discussion on housing counseling data at the 2025 MISMO Spring Summit

David gave an example of how the data set could help in an individual situation. “If a mortgage holder were late on their mortgage, the servicer should be able to see which housing counseling agency they went to and refer them back so they get the assistance they need before their company goes into foreclosure.

”The faster, simplified data sharing will also allow housing counseling agencies to get ahead of problems more quickly and better serve their clients. It will also make it easier to quantify and demonstrate the effectiveness of housing counseling, which can help to raise awareness of housing counseling services.

“Consumers that go through pre-purchase education and counseling are more likely to be approved and less likely to default on their mortgage, but because we weren’t capturing the right data, we weren’t able to show that,” David explained. “Now, with consistent data, we will be able to.”

While a lot of work lies ahead to ensure the data set is used widely and efficiently, its release is a large step forward for growing the field of housing counseling and ensuring that programs can help as many people as possible.

Housing Action Illinois Receives Contribution from Midland States Bank Foundation

Kristin Ginger — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 17:17:02 +0000

For Immediate Release: March 10, 2025
Housing Action Illinois Contact: Kristin Ginger, Director of Communications and Development, 312-854-3333
Midland States Bank Contact: Anna Strong, Marketing Manager, 217-540-2838

CHICAGO, IL – Housing Action Illinois is pleased to announce a $12,000 contribution by Midland States Bank. The grant, provided by the Midland States Bank Foundation, will support Housing Action’s Housing Counseling Career Path training.

“HUD-certified housing counselors are unbiased experts who educate and empower individuals and families. The Housing Counseling Career Path creates a new generation of housing counselors who are in step with the concerns of our communities and equipped to help clients reach their home goals, whether through purchasing a first home or learning how to manage finances. With the support of Midland States Bank, we can create opportunities for more participants to join our training and get the skills and knowledge they need to support communities that need it most. This is particularly important for communities like Joliet, which have a shortage of housing counselors,” says Wanda Collins, Capacity Building Specialist at Housing Action Illinois. Housing Action is hosting a series of the training in partnership with Joliet Junior College and Moraine Valley Community College this March.

Left to right: Sharon Legenza and Wanda Collins of Housing Action Illinois, Cornell Lurry of Midland States Bank, David Young of Housing Action Illinios, Michael O’Brien of Midland States Bank

For more than 35 years, Housing Action Illinois has brought together organizations from across the state to work together to expand affordable housing and end homelessness. Through its Capacity Building program, the statewide coalition provides training, consulting, and resources to help housing organizations—especially housing counseling agencies–better serve communities. Housing Action Illinois’ Housing Counseling Career Path is a comprehensive program designed to help participants understand the six core principles of housing counseling and prepare to pass the HUD Individual Certification Exam.

“Together with our Community Impact Investment Statement, the Midland States Bank Foundation is a powerful way for us to give back to our communities,” commented Jeffrey G. Ludwig, President and CEO of Midland States Bancorp, Inc. “The funds we set aside from the Bank’s profits help us put our company’s culture in action to benefit the communities we serve.”

The Midland States Bank Foundation supports the general welfare, education and health of the communities where the Bank operates. Since its creation in 2011, the Foundation has contributed more than $1,900,000 to non-profit organizations throughout Midland’s footprint.

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About Housing Action Illinois

Housing Action is a statewide coalition that has been leading the movement to end homelessness, address the shortage of affordable rental housing, and expand homeownership opportunities in Illinois for more than 35 years. Our 190+ member organizations include housing counseling agencies, homeless service providers, developers of affordable housing, and policymakers. We bring everyone together to work toward our vision of an Illinois where everyone has a stable, good home.

About Midland States Bancorp, Inc.

Midland States Bancorp, Inc. is a community-based financial holding company headquartered in Effingham, Illinois, and is the sole shareholder of Midland States Bank. As of March 31, 2024, the Company had total assets of approximately $7.83 billion, and its Wealth Management Group had assets under administration of approximately $3.89 billion. The Company provides a full range of commercial and consumer banking products and services and business equipment financing, merchant credit card services, trust and investment management, insurance and financial planning services. For additional information, visit https://www.midlandsb.com or https://www.linkedin.com/company/midland-states-bank.

Going National with My Path to Home

admin — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 16:40:51 +0000

Housing Action Illinois is excited to announce the nationwide launch of My Path to Home (MPTH), an innovative online platform that connects individuals and families with housing counseling services. Whether you’re looking to purchase your first home, avoid foreclosure, or address other housing needs, MPTH makes it easier to find expert guidance.

With just a few clicks and by entering basic information, potential clients can connect with HUD-approved housing counseling agencies in their area. By visiting mypathtohome.org, users can enter their information and select preferences for in-person or virtual sessions. The platform then automatically forwards this data to the nearest participating agency, which will follow up to schedule a first counseling session–streamlining the intake process and reducing wait times.

MPTH is designed to expand access to essential housing counseling services by breaking down barriers, especially for households that have been underserved in the past. It aims to improve intake efficiency and increase referrals for counseling agencies. Housing Action Illinois is proud to offer this resource to help more individuals and families navigate their housing journeys.

How You Can Make a Difference

Housing Action Illinois is committed to creating a more accessible and effective housing counseling system. Here’s how you can support this mission:

Financial Institutions and Government Entities: Join us in scaling MPTH to reach more communities! Your financial support can directly enhance the reach and impact and help underserved households access critical resources
Housing Counseling Agencies: We’re inviting HUD-approved housing counseling agencies to partner with us and accept referrals from MPTH. Interested? Please reach out to James Miller at james@housingactionil.org.
Community Organizations and Advocates: Help spread the word. Local service providers and community groups can direct individuals to MPTH, ensuring they benefit from this free, easy-to-use tool.

By working together, we can make housing counseling more accessible to everyone. We can empower more individuals and families with the guidance they need to secure stable housing and build stronger communities. Visit mypathtohome.org to learn more about MPTH and explore how you can partner with us to expand its reach.

Giving Everyone the Opportunity to Work on Financial Wellness: Spotlight on La Casa de Esperanza

admin — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 15:58:14 +0000

“Everyone deserves an opportunity to work on their financial wellness,” says Gina Sanchez, Director of Center for Financial Stability of La Casa de Esperanza. This belief is the foundation of La Casa De Esperanza’s people-centered approach in their financial education and housing counseling services; they try to focus on the individual, meeting them wherever they are in their financial or housing journey.

She described a client success story which is indicative of this approach: Elliot, a single father of four, was experiencing homelessness. He came to La Casa de Esperanza with a goal of owning his own home. Gina worked with Elliot for over five years, helping him learn how to build his savings, improve his credit, and get back on track. This long-term financial stability counseling eventually led to Elliot being able to purchase his own Habitat for Humanity home for him and his family. “I just love when I see stories like Elliott’s, where it doesn’t matter what circumstance you’re in—if you’re homeless, if you feel broken–you know we can work with you along the way,” she says.

Gina Sanchez, La Casa de Esperanza; Elliot

La Casa de Esperanza, which means house of hope, has an entirely bilingual staff—all services are offered in both English and Spanish. With a focus on financial education, they bring programs in financial wellness and housing counseling to communities across Wisconsin.

La Casa de Esperanza recently joined our Housing Action Counseling Network member, becoming our first Intermediary affiliate in Wisconsin, while they were determining how to apply for HUD funding. They were also seeking guidance on HUD compliance and how to choose software to track their housing counselors’ work. Before joining the Housing Action Counseling Network, Gina explains, “We didn’t have HUD funding…We didn’t have an appropriate way to track all the hard work that our counselors are doing.” Now, they’ve recently received their first grant notice from HUD through Housing Action, and are taking steps to transition to a new housing counseling software as well. “We’re just excited to have [Housing Action’s] support,” says Gina. “We feel more confident in the work that we’re doing.”

In the next year, La Casa de Esperanza has plans to expand their programming by 20% or more, with a focus on reaching out to more underserved communities throughout the state. With newly awarded resources from the Wisconsin Housing Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) and the Heron Foundation, La Casa de Esperanza will bring housing education and counseling to many areas and communities, particularly households of color, including Hmong residents. In addition, they are planning to expand their financial wellness in the workplace program.

WHEDA education in EauClaire, WI

WHEDA education in Wausau, WI

While growing, the organization aims to focus on local building capacity, so that their work can continue to create change over the years and stay rooted in the community. “My long-term vision with this is to help folks in those areas open or create their own support systems and services,” says Gina.

One thing Gina wants people to know about financial stability is that it looks different for everyone. “It’s letting folks understand that it’s their own journey. It’s their own goals and just to start wherever you are, and any progress you make towards financial stability is an improvement.”

Clients of La Casa de Esperanza who will be moving into a new home

Launching Our First On-Demand Housing Counselor Training

Kristin Ginger — Thu, 09 May 2024 19:02:24 +0000

Recognizing the need for housing counselors to have flexible and dynamic learning opportunities, Housing Action Illinois has collaborated with trainer Kim Drayton to introduce our first on-demand housing counselor training, Compliance Matters: The 2024 Definitive HUD Data Compliance Course for HUD-Certified Housing Counselors. This training allows participants to progress at their own pace and according to their own schedule, creating a personalized learning experience.

The in-depth, interactive training is designed to be completed in about 15 hours. The material is divided into modules, each with its series of short videos and learning checks, making it a more engaging experience than watching a pre-recorded training session. Interested professionals can watch a demo video to understand the online platform and what the course will entail.

The training explores a foundational topic that every housing counselor needs to understand: daily HUD compliance. HUD’s Office of Housing Counseling just published an update to its Housing Counseling Program Handbook 7610.1 Rev-6.1, which all HUD-approved agencies must comply with as of April 1, 2024. This comprehensive course provides essential guidance on navigating the updated HUD data compliance requirements, equipping counselors to deliver high-quality client services.

A distinguishing feature that differentiates this learning opportunity from pre-recorded trainings is the live Q&A offered by trainer Kim Drayton of ThriveInspire. Kim is available to address participant questions and guide the course weekly. These sessions, conducted in an online community, provide real-time answers to participant questions to help equip counselors to meet their organization’s specific needs.

Course highlights include:

Immediately applicable insights and strategies related to the daily responsibilities of a HUD-certified housing counselor.
Practical techniques that help participants navigate requirements more confidently.
The latest information is in the newly released HUD Handbook 7610.1 Revision 6.
The opportunity to connect with peers in the exclusive online community for Compliance Matters students.

Trainer Kim Drayton of ThriveInspire developed the course. Kim has consulted with nonprofit clients such as NeighborWorks™ America and The Housing Partnership Network. She has trained over 8,000 homeownership professionals since 2009, and In 2018, she began educating agencies and counselors on HUD-approved CMSs. After observing a need for assistance to help housing counseling professionals better understand how HUD compliance relates to their day-to-day job functions, she developed the Compliance Matters course.

Register now »

See other upcoming training opportunities »

A New Start as a Housing Counselor

admin — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 16:38:04 +0000

Verdene Sims has always had a desire to help people, so after retiring from a career in telecommunications, she decided to start doing something entirely different and wanted to commit herself to doing something that would support others. She says, “I wasn’t sure what, and now that I have this space of time, I want to get out and get engaged.” She began looking into credit counseling, but then stumbled across housing counseling.

With experience purchasing and selling a home, renting, and being a landlord, Verdene thought, “Being older and [with] my life experience… I know a little bit about some of these things and maybe this might be something I could be good at and helpful to others in.” Verdene already finds herself being a person her friends and family come to and ask for advice when buying a new house or dealing with a financial situation, so housing counseling seemed like a good fit.

Verdene Sims

Now, having passed the HUD Housing Counselor Certification Exam, Verdene reflects on her process in four steps: Research, Training, Studying, Passing.

Completely new to the industry, Verdene started researching housing counseling and studying for the HUD exam. Using the study modules provided by HUD, Verdene got a basic understanding of the test’s content. She soon stumbled across Housing Action Illinois during and signed up for the Housing Counseling Career Path training that Housing Action Illinois brought in partnership with Moraine Valley Community College in July 2023. After taking the class, Verdene realized there was a lot she still needed to study to be fully prepared for the test. However, these two steps gave Verdene a solid foundation to continue preparing.

Verdene took advice given by Housing Action’s Capacity Building Specialist Wanda Collins to not rely on just the class–to go back, read through the modules and the handbook, and take the practice test provided by HUD. Knowing what works for her, she printed out the module study guides, took notes, and highlighted the pertinent information. She also joined the HUD Housing Counselor Exam Prep Facebook group to gain resources from others studying to pass the exam. After setting a goal to only take the test one time to pass, Verdene dove into these resources to continue her learning. Just a few months after taking the Housing Counseling Career Path training, Verdene passed the exam on her first attempt.

For people thinking of a career in housing counseling or taking the HUD Housing Counseling Certification Exam, Verdene says, “If it’s something you really want to do, definitely put in the time to study and prepare for the test.” She recommends finding out what works for you to make the information stick, and to zone in on the areas you know will be more difficult for you. Take advantage of resources, whether that be a training, the HUD modules and practice exams, or the Facebook group. “Don’t skimp on good old fashioned studying.”

Verdene plans to look for employment at a HUD-approved Housing Counseling Agency in the near future. Being so new to the industry, Verdene doesn’t know much about the day-to-day of housing counseling, but she expects that it will be “interacting with people who you help [and learning] to document your interactions with people.” Verdene is excited for the opportunity to help others in her retirement. She says, “It is important to me to try to do it. I don’t know how it’s going to turn out, but it’s just something that I’ve always wanted to do…just help folks”.

Educating Homeowners & Renters in Spanish at Erie Neighborhood House

admin — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 16:09:39 +0000

Léelo en español: Educando a dueños de casa e arrendadores en español en Erie Neighborhood House

Monica Marquez is a housing counselor at Erie Neighborhood House, where she is dedicated to providing services to Spanish-speaking clients. Monica began working at Erie Neighborhood House as a volunteer, then joined the staff and worked in the public benefits department, and is now working toward becoming a HUD-certified housing counselor.

“I want to get certified so I can be capable and be able to help each family achieve their dream in this country,” Monica explains. She herself moved to the United States from Mexico eighteen years ago.

Erie Neighborhood House is guided by their mission to “empower communities through education and justice,” says Monica. Some of their many programs include English classes, immigration-related legal aid assistance and citizenship assistance, services for preschool children, and after-school educational programs. Monica’s role as a housing counselor involves empowering Spanish-speaking individuals and families by helping them learn their rights, find resources, and overcome barriers. Erie Neighborhood House is one of the newest agencies to join Housing Action Illinois’s HUD Intermediary, which sub-grants HUD funding and supports housing counseling agencies with training and other support.

As a housing counselor, Monica values the importance of creating strong relationships with her clients. “I know there are many realtors,” she says, “but we need an organization that helps and follows up with each family… and gives workshops for free—that gives that education that we need so much. Because I know the community, and because of the experiences I have had, many times I understand the kind of place [my clients] are living in. It is not a comfortable and safe place for your family.”

Language is a crucial component in building these relationships, as the majority of Erie Neighborhood House’s clients speak only Spanish. Monica explains why it is so important to have services and trainings for housing counselors available in Spanish: “…the home language, the language that one knows, makes one feel more confident—there is better understanding,” she says. Monica recently attended Housing Action Illinois’ Career Path Training in Spanish and felt “much more comfortable” participating in a training in her native language.

Working closely with clients at Erie House, Monica has witnessed the challenges faced by her community in Chicago. “[I] see how unfair everything that has to do with housing is here in Chicago…and the injustice that our community is experiencing,” she says. “Owners are constantly raising rents for families… many times, it is only the father who works, they have four children—so that seems very unfair to me that there is no education, that they do not know their rights, and that [there are people] abusing the working class.”

These barriers make each success feel like an even greater achievement, and supporting individuals and families at Erie House is about helping them with a wide range of needs; housing is just one piece of the puzzle. Monica recounts the story of a woman who had difficulty obtaining a medical card. By helping her client apply for a medical card, Monica helped her to get the medical care she needed. Reflecting on this success, Monica says, “[the client] started to cry… she got emotional and said, ‘Thank you, thank you, because if you hadn’t helped me, I would never have had access to go to the doctor.’”

“I feel super blessed to be in this organization where they are always looking for justice, for equality, for rights and now for decent housing for every person who is living in the Chicago area,” she adds.

For Monica, her work at Erie Neighborhood House is not just a job—it’s a vocation. “Wherever they put me, I will be helping people where they are,” she says.

Note: Original interview was in Spanish.

Educando a dueños de casa e arrendadores en español en Erie Neighborhood House

Mónica Marquez es consejera de vivienda en Erie Neighborhood House, donde se dedica a ofrecer servicios a clientes que hablan español. Mónica comenzó a trabajar en Erie Neighborhood House como voluntaria, luego se unió al personal y trabajó en el departamento de beneficios públicos, y ahora está estudiando para convertirse en una consejera de vivienda certificado por HUD.

“Quiero certificarme para poder ayudar a cada familia a lograr su sueño en este país,” explica Mónica. Ella misma vino a los Estados Unidos desde México hace dieciocho años.

La misión de Erie Neighborhood House es “empoderar a las comunidades a través de la educación y justicia”, dice Mónica. Algunos de sus muchos programas incluyen clases de inglés, asistencia legal relacionada con la inmigración y asistencia para la ciudadanía, servicios para niños en edad preescolar, y programas educativos extraescolares. El papel de Mónica como consejera de vivienda es empoderar a las personas y familias que hablan español enseñándoles sus derechos, encontrar recursos, y superar barreras. Erie Neighborhood House es una de las agencias más nuevas en unirse al HUD Intermediary de Housing Action Illinois, que subconcede fondos de HUD y apoya a las agencias de consejería de vivienda con talleres y asistencia técnica.

Como consejera de vivienda, Mónica valora la importancia de crear relaciones sólidas con sus clientes.“Sé que hay muchos Realtors,” dice, “pero hace falta una organización que ayude y de seguimiento a cada familia… y que ofrezca talleres de forma gratuita, esa educación que tanto necesitamos. Por la experiencia que he tenido y porque conozco a la comunidad, muchas veces me doy cuenta de el lugar en el que están viviendo y no es un lugar cómodo o seguro para su familia.”

El idioma es un componente crucial en la construcción de estas relaciones, ya que la mayoría de los clientes de Erie Neighborhood House solo hablan español. Mónica explica por qué es tan importante tener servicios y talleres para consejeras de vivienda disponibles en español: “…el idioma de casa, el idioma que uno conoce, lo hace que se sienta más en confianza, hay una mejor comprensión,” dice. Mónica asistió recientemente Housing Action Illinois’ Career Path taller en español y se sintió “mucho más cómoda” participando en una capacitación en su lengua materna.

Al trabajar estrechamente con los clientes de Erie House, Mónica ha sido testigo de los desafíos que enfrenta su comunidad en Chicago. “Veo qué injusto es todo lo que tenga que ver con vivienda aquí en Chicago…y la injusticia que está viviendo nuestra comunidad. Que dueños de vivienda de un mes hacia el otro, su meta es desalojar a sus inquilinos y lo hacen subiendo las rentas constantemente para familias, que muchas veces solo es el papá el que trabaja, tienen cuatro hijos–entonces eso se me hace muy injusto que que no haya educación, que no conozcan los derechos y que haya gente abusando de la clase trabajadora.”

Estas barreras hacen que cada éxito se sienta como un gran logro, Erie House trata de ayudar y apoyar a personas y familias en una amplia gama de necesidades; la vivienda es sólo una pieza del rompecabezas. Mónica relata la historia de una mujer que tuvo dificultades para obtener una tarjeta médica. Al ayudar a su cliente a aplicar por una tarjeta médica, Mónica la ayudó a obtener la atención médica que necesitaba. Al reflexionar sobre este éxito, Mónica dice: “la mujer] comenzó a llorar… se emocionó y dijo: ‘Gracias, gracias porque si usted no me hubiera ayudado, yo nunca tendría acceso a un medico.’”

“Me siento súper bendecida de estar en esta organización donde siempre están viendo por la justicia, por la igualdad, los derechos y ahora por una vivienda digna para cada persona que está viviendo en el área de Chicago,” agrega.

Para Mónica, su trabajo en Erie Neighborhood House no es sólo un trabajo: es una vocación.“Y donde me pongan, yo voy a estar ayudando a las personas donde estén,” dice.

Changing with the Times: Cora Fulmore’s Approach to Training Counselors

admin — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 20:23:03 +0000

When asked what brought her to the housing counseling industry in the first place, Cora describes losing a friend and realizing she needed to make a change in her own life. She left her job at a financial institution working in collections and started working at a local consumer credit counseling service, glad to find that her banking background allowed her to help more consumers because she knew the credit laws and regulations that protect individuals. “I love the counseling industry,” says Cora. “It’s the best job I’ve ever had. This job has given me just an array of topics that I can explore.”

Bibian Cristino, Housing Action Illinois; Cora Fulmore, Diversified Resource Network; and Emily Stahl, Housing Action Illinois

In the ever-changing housing industry, it takes a lot of dedication and expertise to stay up-to-date and make sure you’re sharing relevant information. That’s why Cora Fulmore is so good at what she does. With over 30 years of experience in the counseling industry, she knows how to keep up with trends, determine what updates will be most useful, and how she can provide the most current and useful information for housing counselors to excel in helping their clients. Because of her passion for supporting counselors with accessible information, Cora created Diversified Resource Network (DRN), as an online resource for housing and credit professionals. For the past 3 years, DRN has worked with Housing Action Illinois to provide more than 10 trainings per year to participants from across the country.

Housing counselors must be knowledgeable on many aspects of housing, including tenancy, financial literacy and management, and foreclosure. They need to be continual learners, seeking out relevant and current updates, and that’s where Cora finds her niche. While working at a national organization that provides training to counselors, she noticed that they did not regularly update their curriculum to provide the most accurate information. This was only further exacerbated by the foreclosure crisis that began in 2007, when Cora found, to her dismay , that counselors without access to updated materials helped spread misinformation.

This led her to begin The Counselor’s Corner, an online resource for the counseling community to obtain trainings for free, in 2014. As The Counselor’s Corner’s membership grew to more than 5,000 members, Cora realized more than just counselors were in need of her resources–local and state officials, real estate professionals, and lenders were among those taking her trainings. Realizing the range of people who could benefit from her educational resources, she decided it was time to rebrand. “Because my group is diversified, we changed the name to Diversified Resource Network,” Cora explains.

Nearly a decade later, Cora’s focus on adapting to the needs of her community has not wavered. “I can’t just present last week’s news when this week’s news is totally different,” she shares. “It is like I’m the reporter of housing counseling.” She is always gathering the most current information and changing her presentations, even up to the day of a training session. At DRN, Cora can make decisions based directly on surveys from members, not having to report to anyone else. This also gives her the freedom to create new courses whenever she sees a need for it.

DRN’s partnership with Housing Action Illinois started in early 2020, when Capacity Building Specialist and Housing Counseling Trainer Bibian Cristino reached out to DRN. As they began providing their training together, DRN and Housing Action also began to develop new classes together. Cora describes these new courses as often “ahead of the curve,” created to support counselors when changes occur in the industry and the state of housing. Reflecting on the past few years, Cora says, “This partnership has been wonderful…Housing Action Illinois gets me.”

Looking to the future, Cora urges housing counselors to learn as much as they can on credit and foreclosures, warning of a further increase in foreclosures across the country. She says, “If we are prepared, we will be the sought after industry, but we have to tell our story. We can’t be afraid to tell our story, and we’ve got to tell our story with a strong conviction of who we are, because our impact is overwhelming.”