7-29-2021 6:46pm

Press Release: NeighborWorks America

S RENEE GREENE Editor

What: With the moratoria on foreclosures and evictions scheduled to end July 31, more and more people need help to stay in their homes.

NEIGHBORWORKS COLUMBUS GA

Housing counselors help people get "mortgage ready" and ensure people know how to protect the equity in their home and therefore protect generational wealth. Yet on Aug. 1, all housing counselors must be HUD-certified to provide housing counseling for a HUD-participating agency. The combination of these two deadlines could spell trouble for the thousands of renters and homeowners who are struggling to keep their homes and need counsel from the right people to do so.

NeighborWorks America wants people to understand their options, like forbearance, so they can keep their homes amid this economic crisis. The organization provides vital training to professionals like housing counselors who help people become homeowners and therefore increase their access to wealth. Since 2014, NeighborWorks America has provided more than 16,000 certificates for HUD certification courses. NeighborWorks America has more than 640 housing counselors in its network of organizations around the country. Our experts can discuss:

The 'big picture' of why people need housing counselors and recommendations to increase everyone's access to safe, affordable housing
How NeighborWorks America is training housing counselors to meet the certification requirements and provide exceptional service to consumers

Tonya Tyler, Vice President, National Initiatives

Cristi Ford, Senior Vice President, Training

Tonya Tyler has significant experience in housing and foreclosure prevention and has held a variety of roles during her 12 years at NeighborWorks America. She led NeighborWorks America's National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling (NFMC) Program, which helped more than 2 million homeowners receive foreclosure counseling.
Tyler is available to discuss how housing counselors can work with people to talk through their options, including forbearance, and connect them to resources that can help prevent foreclosure and eviction. She can address the 'big picture' and how NeighborWorks America educates people who want to own a home on all aspects of homeownership.

Cristi Ford is responsible for providing strategic and entrepreneurial leadership in the design, production, delivery, evaluation and marketing of a variety of training and other services. Ford has more than 15 years of cumulative experience in education and training at the local, regional, national and international level. Ford is available to discuss NeighborWorks America's trainings and how they help housing counselors meet the HUD-certification requirements.

About NeighborWorks America
For more than 40 years, Neighborhood Reinvestment Corp., a national, nonpartisan nonprofit known as NeighborWorks America, has strived to make every community a place of opportunity. Our network of excellence includes nearly 250 members in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. NeighborWorks America offers grant funding, peer-exchange, technical assistance, evaluation tools and access to training, as the nation's leading trainer of housing and community development professionals. NeighborWorks network organizations provide residents in their communities with affordable homes, owned and rented; financial counseling and coaching; community building through resident engagement; and collaboration in the areas of health, employment and education.