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The
Housing Counseling Division of Catholic Family Service, Inc. provides
HUD-approved housing counseling for first time home buyers, senior citizens
looking for reverse mortgage counseling in order to maintain their
independence, and loss mitigation counseling for people who are in danger of
losing their homes. Curriculums and videos come through the Fannie Mae
Foundation. Funding for this program is provided through Catholic
Charities, USA, local banks and mortgage companies.
Laura Rojas, a local news reporter and mother of two, took the First Time
Home Buyer’s class offered through CFS’s Housing Counseling Division. “I
found this class so helpful, extremely beneficial!” Laura exclaimed. “It
was a very positive experience that opened my eyes to a lot of things I
needed to know up front before purchasing a home. It made me feel hopeful
that there IS a lot of help out there… that I am not alone. I didn’t grow
up learning about home buying so I wanted to take this class for me and for
my children, so I could pass this knowledge on to them. I really liked
hearing from the speakers who are all a part of the home-buying process.
That was really helpful. I haven’t bought a home yet, because now that I
have taken the class, I know what I need to do to prepare to make my first
home purchase. Buying a home is a huge responsibility, and I realized that
I need to put a lot of thought into it. No one wants to buy a home and then
lose it. Now that I have taken this class, I am really excited and
optimistic about buying a home. It is a serious investment and it is
scary. Knowing what you learn in class puts it all in perspective. The
First Time Home Buyer’s class makes the process of buying a home easy to
understand, and best of all, IT’S FREE! The class is literally priceless,
and I would recommend it to anyone who is thinking of purchasing a home.”
This year the Housing Counseling program served 469 families with an average
size of 3 people per family, or an approximate 1,407 persons.
Homebuyer education
162
Loss mitigation counseling
75
Reverse mortgage counseling (HECM) 120
Seeking help in locating, securing,
or maintaining residence in rental housing 82
Seeking shelter or services for the homeless 30
TOTAL
469
This fiscal year the Housing Counseling Division also worked with over 65
Hurricane evacuee families, assisting with transportation, emergency
assistance for food, gas, bus tickets to get back home or where other family
members reside, rent, utilities, etc. through funding provided by Catholic
Charities, USA.
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