Florida Housing Receives Funding to Support Foreclosure Prevention Counseling Efforts Statewide
Grant provides much-needed boost to homeowners in danger of foreclosure
TALLAHASSEE, FL – November 2, 2009 – (RealEstateRama) — Florida Housing was recently awarded $1,805,370 to support foreclosure prevention counseling efforts in the State of Florida. The much-needed boost will bolster efforts to provide additional foreclosure counseling to area homeowners in danger of foreclosure.“Needless to say, we are very pleased to have been awarded these funds from NeighborWorks® America to expand and build upon the efforts to help those facing foreclosure in our state,” said Steve Auger, Florida Housing’s executive director. “Through the continued partnership with our sub-grantees, we will work diligently to assist as many homeowners as possible.”
The grant to support Florida Housing’s foreclosure intervention efforts was provided by funds from the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling Program. The initial funding was provided by Congress in the fiscal year 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Additional funding was provided through the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA) of 2008 and the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009. The National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling Program is administered through a competitive application process by NeighborWorks® America, within guidelines defined by Congressional legislation. NeighborWorks America is an independent, Congressionally chartered non-profit organization based in Washington, DC, with a mission to provide access to sustainable homeownership and safe, affordable rental housing.
In the first round of funding (2008), Florida Housing received $1,015,389 of the $4.8 million in total funding Florida received. This grant allowed Florida Housing to serve as an intermediary for 19 local housing counseling agencies that provided foreclosure prevention and intervention services to more than 2,500 homeowners in 2008 and 1,000 more during 2009.
A second round of funding was made available in mid-2008 and Florida Housing was awarded $2,294,700 of the $9.5 million Florida received. These funds were used to increase the number of counseling providers from 19 to 26, which resulted in housing counselors serving more than 8,000 families. In addition, Florida Housing and Florida Legal Services received an award of $1.5 million to provide legal assistance to more than 2,700 homeowners at risk of foreclosure.
With this new round of funding, Florida Housing will seek to support up to 33 sub-grantees and provide for approximately 18,000 counseling events statewide.
Contact:
Cecka Rose Green (850) 488-4197
