Kalamazoo Times

The Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) is receiving a $1.087 million housing counseling grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The funds will be distributed to 24 HUD-approved housing counseling agencies across Michigan to support their critical work to stem the tide of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on housing, maintain housing stability by helping families with foreclosure and rental eviction prevention, and give residents tools to make informed housing choices, according to a MSHDA press release.

“Every Michigander deserves a safe place to call home,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) said, according to the release. “This grant will help Michigan’s statewide network of dedicated housing counselors support families with the tools and education they need to manage their personal finances, buy their first home or secure housing stability. When families have equitable access to financial freedom, it has a positive ripple effect on future generations and our economy.”

The grant includes funding for further training and education and to attract and retain more housing counseling professionals. This grant is the largest award MSHDA has received from HUD since 2009. That’s when the two government entities began partnering on the delivery of housing counseling, according to the release.

The release reports that HUD-approved counseling agencies provide services to address a full range of housing counseling necessities. This includes assisting homebuyers in evaluating their readiness for a home purchase and navigating through the home-buying process, finding affordable rental housing, offering financial literacy training to individuals and families and providing foreclosure prevention counseling.

These agencies also support emergency preparedness and disaster recovery efforts by helping those experiencing homelessness find transitional housing, according to the release.

“MSHDA and HUD remain committed to meeting and prioritizing the housing security needs of Michigan residents because we have seen it have a transformational impact on those who use our services,” Veronica Depotty, MSHDA’s HUD grant manager and housing education specialist said, per the release. “Our clients are 85% more likely to remain current on mortgage and rent, and equally as important are the positive generational impacts on their families.”