The Virginia Cooperative Extension-Prince William has received $75,000 in grant funding from Virginia Housing to support the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Financial Education and Housing Counseling program.
According to Keith Walker, a Communications Analyst for the Office of Executive Management, the grant helps the Prince William Cooperative Extension office with the emergency support funds to maintain service delivery for HUD housing counseling agencies, which he believes will be utilized by more and more people due to the current global pandemic.
“As COVID-19 continues to impact residents in multiple ways, there are more and more people who may find themselves in need of counseling,” said Walker.
“Their [the program’s] services are far-reaching and helpful, especially for those who are not comfortable navigating the system as a first-time homebuyer. They also help people who are going into foreclosure and need mortgage counseling or rental counseling,” said Paige Thacker, a cooperative exentsion agent.
The grant funds will be going toward the program’s manager and HUD counselor, as well as grant staff who support the program. Prince William County funds the Financial Education and Housing Counseling program through Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE), but VCE also seeks and uses grants to help broaden the program.
“In addition to the program manager and HUD counselor, we have six other grant staff who support the program. These funds will cover our grant staff who provide housing counseling for the next two months,” said Thacker.
Citizens can talk anytime with one of VCE’s four HUD-certified counselors for help regarding housing or rental issues, assistance with a foreclosure or potential foreclosure, or information on creating saving accounts, improving credit reports, or help managing income.
Contact VCE’s Prince William Financial Education and Housing Counseling program at 703-792-6287 or email [email protected]. For more information, visit pwcgov.org.”The county recognizes that individuals need it, so they fund the program manager and the HUD housing counseling position, and we supplement the program with grants.”
