June 17, 2024 - Harrisburg, PA
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Office of Housing Counseling is announcing the award of $10 million in grant funding under its Homeownership Initiative to 23 HUD-approved housing counseling agencies. The funding will support activities by these agencies to prepare and equip prospective homebuyers to successfully navigate the homebuying process and guide them to access the affordable homes they deserve. The announcement was made this morning in Harrisburg, PA, byAssistant Secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner Julia Gordonat the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, a recipient of one of the grants under the program. The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency is receiving more than $479,000 through this funding opportunity to support their network of affiliates in delivering homeownership counseling programs to underserved communities throughout the state."Under the Biden-Harris Administration, we are unlocking doors of opportunity for families to achieve homeownership and build generational wealth,"said HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman."This Homeownership Month, I'm proud to announce that we are awarding another $10 million to equip prospective homebuyers with the tools they need to navigate the process, which will expand homeownership to everyone who wants it."The grants awarded today will enable HUD-approved housing counseling agencies to provide culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate services for pre- and post-purchase housing counseling, with the goal of increasing homeownership rates among historically underserved communities. The funding affirms the ongoing commitment of the Biden-Harris Administration to help close the racial wealth gap and address homebuying barriers that disproportionately affect marginalized communities. Speakers in Order:Robin Weissmann - Executive Director and CEO, Pennsylvania State Housing Finance Agency (PHFA)Terri Redmond - Executive Director, Pennsylvania State HFA Housing Counseling ProgramMaigo Bondadi - Pennsylvania State HFA Housing Counseling Client, Scranton, PAKarina Urbina - Pennsylvania State HFA Housing Counseling Client, Folcroft, PAJulia R. Gordon - Assistant Secretary for Housing, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentMatt Heckles - HUD Regional AdministratorMayor Wanda Williams - Mayor of Harrisburg