June 19, 2013

Housing Counseling Works!

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Navigating the world of housing choices isn’t easy.  Should I rent or buy? What can I really afford? Will I have to move away once I retire?  What does all this paperwork really mean?  How do I know I’m being treated fairly by my landlord? By my bank?

These questions can be daunting – but help is only a phone call (or click) away!

Since 1968, HUD’s housing counseling program helped Americans make all kinds of housing related decisions.  HUD-approved housing counseling agencies help families find affordable housing, save for a security deposit or downpayment, understand and improve their use of credit and reduce debt, recognize discrimination and fight scams, prevent foreclosures, and avoid eviction and homelessness.

HUD’s new Office of Housing Counseling is committed to supporting a strong, independent network of nonprofit housing counseling agencies.  To do that, HUD is awarding more than $40 million in housing counseling grants to hundreds of counseling organizations across the country.  More than 1.6 million households will have the opportunity to find housing, make more informed housing choices, or keep their current homes thanks to these HUD-approved housing counseling agencies.

Recent studies have shown that pre-purchase counseling reduces the likelihood of delinquency by a third and that 70 percent of at-risk homeowners who received housing counseling got the help they needed to keep their homes, even in the middle of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.   That’s why we’re spreading the word – housing counseling works!

And it’s not just for those families looking to buy a home or facing foreclosure – renters and seniors also have resources available to them.   Housing counselors can help lower-income households find affordable rental housing and offer financial literacy training to those struggling to repair credit problems which restrict their options.  FHA-insured reverse mortgages (called HECMs) that let seniors remain in their homes  by leveraging the equity they have earned to pay expenses  actually require participation in housing counseling so that seniors can understand the costs and benefits of this complex program.

June is Homeownership Month, a time to celebrate homeownership as a cornerstone of building wealth and stabilizing neighborhoods.  But it’s also a time to reflect on the need to promote responsible and sustainable homeownership while embracing the fact that not everyone’s needs are best met by owning a home.  And while making the decision to become a homeowner is a complex one – it’s not one you ever have to make alone.

Getting help is easy.  You can search online for a housing counseling agency near you or call HUD’s interactive voice system at (800) 569-4287.

The verdict is in – housing counseling works and it’s available in your community!

June 17, 2013

Join us for the Partnership for Sustainable Communities Twitter Town Hall on Monday, June 17, at 1:30 PM ET

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June 16, 2013 marks the four-year anniversary of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, a collaboration of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Since 2009, our three federal agencies have been working together to help communities build stronger regional economies, improve their housing and transportation options, and protect the environment.

As President Obama said when the Partnership launched in 2009, “…by working together, [the agencies] can make sure that when it comes to development—housing, transportation, energy efficiency—these things aren’t mutually exclusive; they go hand in hand.”

Our collaboration helps communities plan the housing, transportation and economic development they need as infrastructure for economic growth, helping them attract businesses and improve quality of life for residents. Continue reading →

June 13, 2013

Join the HUD-DOT-EPA Partnership for a Sustainable Communities Twitter Town Hall!

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On June 17, 2013, we invite you to participate in a virtual discussion with senior U.S. officials to commemorate the fourth year anniversary of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities in a 45-minute Twitter town hall meeting.

The Partnership, a collaboration of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), helps communities build stronger regional economies, improve their housing and transportation options, and protect the environment.  It has provided more than $4 billion in funding and technical assistance for projects in all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Please join EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe, HUD Deputy Secretary Maurice Jones, and DOT Deputy Secretary John Porcari for a conversation at the Sustainable Communities Twitter Town Hall Meeting on Monday, June 17, at 1:30 pm (ET). Continue reading →

June 5, 2013

Rebuilding the Middle Class and the American Dream

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June is Homeownership Month, a time to celebrate something that’s central to this thing we call ‘the American Dream.’  As our nation continues to recover from the housing crisis, we also must reflect on ways to promote responsible and sustainable homeownership.

Perhaps then it’s only right that the theme of this Homeownership Month is Rebuilding the Middle-Class.  Today, the housing market is on the rebound with home sales on the increase and foreclosures on the decline.  Homebuilders are back to building homes and creating jobs for working Americans and thanks to rising home prices this year, nearly 2 million more families are no longer under water.  The market’s recovery is in large part, due to the swift and bold action taken by the Obama administration.  In the past four years, millions of people facing foreclosure are still their homes.

Despite all this progress, our work is not finished.  We still have a long way to go to ensure that every distressed homeowner gets help and every qualified buyer is treated fairly.  Too many responsible families who want to buy are still being locked out of market and the middle class.  While many homeowners can now take advantage of today’s low interest rates and refinance their mortgages (even if they’re under water), many others can’t!  Homeowners with a Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or an FHA-insured mortgage have that option to lower their monthly mortgage costs but there are homeowners with private mortgages that don’t have that opportunity and continue to be locked out.  That’s why the President is urging the Congress to act on a plan to extend this opportunity to ALL responsible homeowners, allowing them a chance to save approximately $3000 a year!

HUD’s Office of Housing Counseling supports hundreds of certified housing counseling agencies across the country that can help struggling homeowners to keep their homes.  These counselors also assist first-time homebuyers and even those desperate for affordable rental housing.

Working with these and other partners on the ground, we can shape a housing market that is stronger and safer housing market than before.  In doing so, we’ll continue to restore the dream of homeownership, creating a stronger middle-class and a stronger America.

Happy Homeownership Month!

June 3, 2013

Summer Jobs Make a Difference in Youth’s Lives

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Secretary Donovan at Youth Summer Jobs Roundtable

Secretary Donovan at Youth Summer Jobs Roundtable

Most of us remember our first job. For many, it was the first time we learned about the importance of hard work, responsibility and accountability. The first paychecks were memorable as well; they provided funds to go to the movies, hang out with friends, or save towards a skateboard or back to school clothes.

For many of today’s disadvantaged and at-risk youths, summer employment represents something very different. It represents not just the value of a hard-earned dollar, but also exposure to long-term job opportunities, or to a mentor that can be a positive influence in their lives.

This is why in 2012 the Obama Administration announced the Summer Jobs+ program. Out of that successful initiative, the Youth Jobs+ program was created. Youth Jobs+ operates by bringing together Cabinet members, elected officials, local businesses, and non-profit organizations to create potential employment opportunities for young Americans.

On Thursday May 30th Secretary Shaun Donovan and Mayor Greg Stanton met with local civic and business leaders, as well as two young people, to discuss the Youth Summer Jobs program in Phoenix, Arizona. During the meeting, they discussed summer youth opportunities in Phoenix, the benefits to employing at-risk youth, the short and long term effects of limited employment opportunities, as well as how best to encourage the business community to provide those opportunities.

One attendee, Sammie Robinson, shared his firsthand experience about how obtaining a summer job at the YMCA helped him not only steer away from trouble, but also inspired him to want to help others. Today Sammie is a college student majoring in political science and works as a youth Counselor at the Phoenix YMCA.

The event was a success, and both Secretary Donovan and Mayor Stanton were pleased with connections that established at the meeting to ensure that this summer, young people in Phoenix and across the country have job opportunities.