Hud Awards More Than $180,000 To the Mon Valley Initiative for Housing Counseling Services

Last Updated on Friday, 11 December 2020 17:11

Nearly $1 million awarded across Pennsylvania

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded a $183,639 housing counseling grant to the Mon Valley Initiative (MVI) in Homestead, Pa. This supplemental funding will support quality housing counseling services in the Mon Valley region, including the foreclosure avoidance and rental counseling services used by many families as they work to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I encourage families and individuals who need help in making important housing decisions to contact the Mon Valley Initiative,” said Joe DeFelice, Regional Administrator of HUD’s Mid-Atlantic region. “Housing counseling can be the difference between a Mon Valley family keeping their home or losing it due to the financial impacts of COVID-19.”

HUD-approved housing counseling agencies provide services to address a full range of housing counseling needs. This includes assisting homebuyers in evaluating their readiness for a home purchase and helping them navigate the homebuying process. Agencies also help households find affordable rental housing, offer financial literacy training and provide foreclosure prevention counseling.

“The Mon Valley Initiative is committed to supporting people to become homeowners in our local communities as well as across the country,” said Mon Valley Initiative CEO Laura Zinski. “This recent funding from HUD is supporting our housing counseling efforts locally and enabling us to support housing counseling organizations in other parts of the country as well. We are so grateful for HUD’s investment into this critically needed service!”

This year, MVI was awarded a total of $693,126 in housing counseling grants, receiving an initial grant award of $509,487 in June. The organization received preference because it will provide counseling to residents living in designated Opportunity Zones.

There are many ways to locate a HUD-approved housing counseling agency. Visit HUD's website or call (800) 569-4287 for the interactive telephone directory.