National Housing Resource Center

Principles

The National Housing Resource Center (NHRC) promotes the long-term interests of the housing counseling industry and the people served by the housing counseling agencies.

NHRC is created to accomplish things together that we are not able to do separately.

NHRC advances public policies, programs, and educational materials that will strengthen the housing counseling industry and benefit housing consumers, especially communities of color, the elderly, low- and moderate-income people, and underserved populations.

About Us

Housing counselors were on the front lines of the American housing crisis and the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. They are an invaluable resource to the housing stability of any community. Often overlooked or underutilitized in the national conversation, housing counselors both uplift and protect their communities.

• They support homebuyers facing challenges in qualifying for affordable mortgage credit;
• They work to address the inequities facing homebuyers and homeowners of color who are working toward economic self-sufficiency and mobility;
• They are on the front lines in the fight addressing foreclosures;
• They support ex-homeowners entering the rental market who need direction and support;
• They protect communities from predatory lending practices that target housing consumers.

Despite the great work of the housing counseling community, much work is required to improve, expand and protect the community. NHRC supports issues that would directly benefit the counseling community and the communities they serve, including:

• Integrating housing counseling into disaster recovery efforts in CDBG-DR funding.
• Improving mortgage servicing standards and language accessibility for limited English proficiency consumers.
• Multi-layered outreach campaign to guide underserved homebuyers to nonprofit housing counseling agencies for assistance
• Developing adequate funding for housing counseling programs to meet the housing needs of consumers in urban, suburban, and rural areas.

Our Purpose

• Develop a common voice for the nonprofit housing counseling industry with Congress, the Administration, regulators, and policy makers.
• Pull together the housing counseling agencies and networks to advocate for housing issues, which impact housing consumers and counseling agencies.
• Tap into the role housing counseling agencies across the country provide for people with the greatest housing needs.
• Take advantage of the broad geographic reach of housing counseling agencies to develop relationships on the Congressional District level.
• Address issues of sustainability for the housing counseling industry
• Elevate the reputation and role of housing counseling.

Our Accomplishments

Increased funding for housing counseling

• Successfully got housing counseling included in the recent CARES Act. As a result, $10 million in new grants went to counseling agencies
• Campaigned for and won $10 million in TARP funded support to counseling agencies for  outreach and HAMP application.
• Working closely with HUD Office of Housing Counseling to improve the annual NOFO release and ultimate funding decisions.
• Advocating for increased HUD housing counseling funding in Congress

Reforming credit, servicing standards, and foreclosure policies

• Commented on CFPB's proposed changes to mortgage servicing standards from a housing counseling perspective.
• Lobbied for improved Language Access for limited English proficiency borrowers.
• Advocating for improved escalation lines, respect for counselors, and incentives to attract people to counseling.

Created several new platforms for support and discussion

• Host our annual conference bringing together housing counselors from across the country to meet with and hear from lenders, regulators, and leading thinkers in the field.
• Host Leaders in Housing Counseling webinars on topics pertinent to the industry for senior housing counseling managers and their staff.
• Secured service and product discounts for counseling agencies, including deeply discounted credit reports and language translation services saving agencies money.

Gathered valuable data from the housing counseling community through our surveys

• Measured the effectiveness of National Mortgage Settlement, jointly with the California Reinvestment Coalition.
• Documented the impact of budget cuts on counseling.
• Gathered input from housing counselors regarding the effectiveness of the Homeowner Assistance Fund.