RADFORD – The Virginia Housing Development Authority recently received a grant for more than $1.1 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to help Virginians make more informed housing choices, keep their current homes, or receive assistance to help them avoid foreclosure.
Radford’s New River Community Action is the recipient of $40,000 of that grant award.
“This year’s grant will help 29 of Virginia’s HUD-approved housing counseling agencies provide tools to current and prospective homeowners and renters so that they can make responsible choices to address their housing needs in light of their financial situations,” said Kelly Gill-Gordon, VHDA Director of Grant Programs and Initiatives. “Agencies receiving these grant funds will provide services to address a full range of housing counseling needs, including assisting home buyers in evaluating their readiness for a home purchase and navigating the home buying process.”
According to VHDA, “these housing counseling organizations also help households find affordable rental housing, offer financial literacy training to individuals and families, and provide foreclosure prevention counseling to help homeowners facing delinquency or default to understand their options for avoiding foreclosure. In addition, these organizations assist homeless persons in finding transitional housing and help seniors determine whether a reverse mortgage makes sense for them.”
He various VHDA grant recipients around the Commonwealth will “provide counseling to individuals and families within designated Opportunity Zones, which aim to stimulate long-term investments in low-income communities by offering significant capital gains tax relief to those who invest in these distressed areas,” according to VHDA.
There are many ways to locate a HUD-approved housing counseling agency. Visit HUD’s website or call (800) 569-4287 for its interactive telephone directory. You can also watch HUD’s video on how housing counseling can help families find (and keep) housing.
VHDA is committed to supporting Virginia’s HUD Housing Counseling network through our partnership with HUD. For more information, visit VHDA.com.
