When $87.5 million in housing counseling funding was cut from the fiscal year 2011 budget, housing counseling agencies and housing organizations from across the country decided that a national coalition was needed to activate and coordinate an advocacy agenda to reinstate funding for the program in the FY 2012 budget.
On Tuesday July 26th, NHC staff along with some members of the Foreclosure Preservation and Neighborhood Stabilization Taskforce participated in a national kick-off event for the National Housing Counseling Action Network in Baltimore, Maryland. The National Housing Counseling Action Network was established to be this convening force to create a unified vision and strategy for the housing counseling industry.
The one-day event was an opportunity for participants to develop a national advocacy agenda for the new network. Participants discussed the challenges they are currently facing and developed principles and goals for the coalition. The day also included homeownership prepurchase and foreclosure prevention workshops as well as plenary sessions on advocacy. The event ended with a pledge to continue to grow the network as well as a plan to join forces and advocate for reinstating funding for housing counseling in the fiscal year 2012 budget.
For more information please visit the Center for NYC Neighborhood’s website.