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Office of Housing

Supplemental Comprehensive Housing Counseling Program

The purpose of HUD’s Housing Counseling Grant Program is to provide funds to HUD-approved housing counseling agencies that provide counseling and advice to tenants and homeowners, with respect to property maintenance, financial management and literacy, and other matters as may be appropriate to assist program clients in improving their housing conditions, meeting their financial needs, and fulfilling the responsibilities of tenancy or homeownership. This NOFA plays an integral role in helping individuals and families obtain housing and stay in their homes through responsible homeownership or affordable rental housing. Housing counseling agencies are an important safeguard in the prevention of housing scams and discrimination and serve as an important gateway to local, state, federal and private housing assistance and resources.

Objectives and Priorities of this NOFA. The Department has identified several priorities for the Housing Counseling Program that this NOFA addresses, including but not limited to:

  1. Distribute federal financial support to housing counseling agencies to enable them to provide quality services to consumers to address their housing and financial needs.
  2. Distribute federal financial support to housing counseling agencies based on past performance.
  3. Reduce the administrative costs to program participants when applying for and reporting on HUD funding while maintaining accountability for federal funds.
  4. Leverage external resources and funding to increase the sustainability of quality housing counseling programs.
  5. Prepare the housing counseling industry for housing counselor testing and certification.
  6. Ensure distribution of funding amounts for rural areas with low levels of access to housing counseling services.
  7. Provide housing counseling services to traditionally underserved populations, such as minorities, seniors, veterans, persons with disabilities, and persons with limited English proficiency.
  8. Reform government services and expand opportunities for more Americans to become self-sufficient. HUD has developed EnVision Centers in select communities across the nation. Individuals are able to utilize the services of EnVision Centers located in these pilot communities, as well as through mobile applications and the EnVision Network organizations. For more information, please visit www.hud.gov/envisioncenters.com.

HUD’s estimate of $3,500,000 is based on the projected number of agencies that will be eligible and apply for funds under this FY 2020 Supplemental NOFA; HUD anticipates that the majority of FY 2020 Comprehensive Housing Counseling Grant Program funding will be distributed to those FY 2019 grantees who remained eligible and were interested in second-year grant funding. HUD reserves the right to award more or less than this amount, in one or more phases, depending upon the number of eligible applicants and other factors. 

HUD expects to make approximately 30  awards from the funds available under this NOFA. 

Preference Points: Applicants may now apply for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) preference points or Opportunity Zone (OZ). Applicants applying for Opportunity Zone (OZ) preference points, must now submit the Certification for Opportunity Zone Preference Points (HUD-2996). Successful applicants who receive these Opportunity Zone preference points must commit to expending the estimated percentage of their award in OZ census tracts, as certified in the Certification for Opportunity Zone Preference Points.

Opportunity Title:  Supplemental Comprehensive Housing Counseling Program

FR-6400-N-33

CFDA No:  14.169

Program NOFO

Grants.gov

Application Opening Date: 05/28/2020

Application Due Date: 07/08/2020

OMB Approval No:  2502-0261

Agency Contact:  Housing.Counseling@hud.gov Persons with hearing or speech impairments may access this number via TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339. Please note that HUD staff cannot assist applicants in preparing their applications.