This program provides counseling to consumers on seeking, financing, maintaining, renting, or owning a home. The program also addresses homelessness through counseling and assists homeowners in need of foreclosure assistance.

The Housing Counseling Assistance Program enables anyone who wants to (or already does) rent or own housing-whether through a HUD program, a Veterans Affairs program, other Federal programs, a State or local program, or the regular private market-to get the counseling they need to make their rent or mortgage payments and to be a responsible tenant or owner in other ways. The counseling is provided by HUD-approved housing counseling agencies.

HUD awards grants to HUD-approved Housing Counseling Agencies and State Housing Finance Agencies through a competitive process.

Funding Status: HUD pays only part of the costs of an agency's counseling activities, so grantees need to leverage their HUD grant with funding from other resources.

• Grantees. Only HUD-approved housing counseling agencies and State Housing Finance Agencies are eligible to apply for Housing Counseling grants. To become HUD-approved, an agency must contact the HUD Office of Housing Counseling to confer about the agency's eligibility and submit an application for approval. Grantees must file quarterly invoices, mid-term performance reports, and a final report. The HUD Office of Housing Counseling reviews the performance of each agency to evaluate whether the agency can keep its HUD approved status.
• Customers. Individuals, families, or groups who are tenants, homeowners, homeless, or homebuyers, may receive counseling from HUD-approved and HUD funded housing counseling agencies.
• Activities. Eligible housing counseling activities can include: rental, default, homeownership, homeless and reverse mortgage counseling for senior homeowners.