Our Housing Counseling department provides a full range of services and advice to housing consumers in order to increase the number of homeowners and tenants by assisting them to purchase, rent and maintain affordable housing. The program also offers homebuyer education workshops both in English and Spanish and assistance with financial wealth. We have partnered with banks to assist our clients to establish or re-establish credit, giving them financial power to increase their income and savings.
On a daily basis, we receive multiple requests that contain the words, “I need help! I’m behind on my mortgage!” Or, “I’m behind on my rent, I’m about to be evicted. Can you help me?” And our Housing Team works with every situation that comes through our door.
It’s no easy task. People sometimes arrive with their emotions taut, expectant of a miracle, and not understanding our Housing Team is not just going to hand them a check to cover the past due bills, but take them through an exploration of their finances and help them to find holes in their budget so they won’t become repeat Foreclosure or fall behind on rent again.
Beyond helping people maintain their current housing, our Housing Team also prepares people who are ready to purchase their first home. They educate their clients to make sure they fully understand the home buying process, make sure they have enough funds for their down payment, on selecting a mortgage, making sure their credit is clear (and encourage them not to do anything to damage it during the purchasing process), and making sure they’re realistic about how much house their budget can buy. Prior to COVID, they hosted monthly in-house Pre-Purchase Workshops for anyone looking for information on how to prepare for buying a home. We're excited to announce, that these Workshops and informational Seminars have resumed again. Our Housing Department hosts monthly 1st-Time Homebuyer Workshops! You can enjoy these sessions in person, or through Zoom. (Zoom links will be provided on our website and other social media outlets for each session) Please check our events page for future dates!
If you need assistance because you're behind on your rent, facing foreclosure, or you’re ready to purchase your first home, our Housing Department is ready to help you! Just call (302) 658-5404 or fill out the Contact Us form at the bottom of this page. We serve all of New Castle County.