Alabama Council on Human Relations congratulates Tabitha Perry (ACHR’s CSBG Administrative Assistant/Emergency Services Program Coordinator) for passing HUD’s Housing Counseling written exam and for being recognized as a Nationally Certified HUD Housing Counselor. This is a huge professional milestone for Tabitha and for the advancement of ACHR.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is requiring all housing counselors participating in HUD programs to be certified to offer counseling services. In order to become certified, housing counselors must pass a standardized written examination and work for a HUD-approved housing counseling agency. Counselors must demonstrate competency in each of the following areas of housing counseling: (1) financial management; (2) property maintenance; (3) responsibilities of homeownership and tenancy; (4) fair housing laws and requirements; (5) housing affordability; and (6) avoidance of, and responses to, rental and mortgage delinquency and avoidance of eviction and mortgage default.
In response to the recent housing crisis, Congress recognized the value of HUD-approved housing counseling services to help struggling families and directed the Department to develop a standard certification process to increase the competency of counselors in the full range of housing issues. HUD-certified counselors will also help to protect their clients from fraudulent operators who prey upon persons experiencing mortgage difficulties. Even legitimate for-profit housing counselors can charge consumers hundreds of dollars for services that are provided free or at low-cost by HUD-approved counselors.