Housing Counseling Programs

HUD-certified housing counselors are available to offer free or low-cost advice at any stage of the housing process. They can provide independent guidance on home buying, foreclosures, and credit issues. These HUD-certified housing counselors are well-trained to provide financial tools to help you maintain stability in both your finances and housing, and to work towards the long-term goal of homeownership.

  • Pre-purchase counseling is intended for those who are interested in purchasing a home in the near future. Housing counselors can help you understand the entire home-buying process from beginning to end and guide you onto the path of selecting the right mortgage loan and find the home that is right for you.
  • Foreclosure counseling assists individuals in reaching agreements with lenders to modify their mortgages or negotiate graceful exits from properties in foreclosure.
  • Financial counseling and education are powerful tools for those seeking to rebuild credit, manage debt, and establish savings.

Information for each program can be found below.

The Housing Counseling Resource Program (HCRP) will provide grants to housing counseling agencies in Illinois to expand service to minority and low- and moderate- income homebuyers. The Program aims to generate increased organizational engagement with minority and low- and moderate- income homebuyers due to this expanded reach. Funding for this program is made available by an allocation from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago.

For more information, contact the Community Affairs Department at CAinquiries@ihda.org. For information on obtaining an IHDA Mortgage, you can find information here.  If you are in need of assistance with buying a home, contact a housing counselor to help you understand the process and your eligibility for grants.

The Cook County Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program (CCMFMP) is a free program available countywide to help homeowners facing foreclosure. The program is designed to assist homeowners in reaching agreements with lenders, such as modifying their mortgages or negotiating graceful exits from properties in foreclosure. The housing counseling component is essential to the program’s success because housing counselors are trained to evaluate an individual’s financial situation and determine if a loan modification will be sustainable for the homeowner. If you are facing foreclosure of your home, please call the helpline at 855-452-2637.

Please note that IHDA does not directly fund homeowners. If you are a homeowner seeking foreclosure prevention assistance, please contact a housing counselor to learn about the available options.

For any questions, please direct them to MFMPrequest@ihda.org Additionally, you may request a callback regarding this program by visiting https://form.jotform.com/243025042318041.

Find a counselor near you today and begin to get the help you need.

You should be aware that foreclosure rescue and mortgage modification scams exist. Scammers make promises they cannot keep, such as guarantees to save your home or lower your mortgage, for a fee. Scammers also may pretend they have direct contact with your mortgage servicer when they do not. One of the easiest ways to determine if someone is trying to scam you is if they ask you for money.

You should never have to pay for foreclosure assistance.

  • Tips to Avoid Scams:
  • Beware of anyone who asks for a fee in exchange for a counseling service or modification of a delinquent loan.
  • Beware of people who pressure you to sign papers immediately, or who try to convince you they can save your home if you sign or transfer over the deed to your house.
  • Do not sign over the deed to your property to any organization or individual unless you are working directly with your mortgage company to forgive your debt.
  • Never make a mortgage payment to anyone without your mortgage company’s approval.
  • Watch the Foreclosure Rescue Scams Video on the FTC ‘s YouTube Channel.
  • The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency provides tips and materials to help homeowners avoid mortgage modification and foreclosure rescue scams.
  • The Loan Modification Scam Prevention Network is a national coalition of governmental and private organizations created by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, NeighborWorks America™ and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law to provide resources to educate homeowners about the dangers of loan modification scams and support federal, state and local efforts to combat these scams. If you believe you have been the victim of a scam, you can report the scam through the campaign’s online complaint form.
  • The Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force maintains a wide list of resources and information to help find and report suspected cases of financial fraud.
  • If you live in Cook County, the Cook County Recorder of Deeds has created a free property fraud alert that will notify you any time a document is recorded against your property’s Parcel Identification Number (PIN).

What to Do if You Have Been the Victim of a Scam:

If you suspect mortgage fraud or want to learn about tips to avoid fraud, contact the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) or call 1-800-532-8785.

Utility Assistance

If you are struggling to pay your utility bills, consider the following:

ComEd’s smart meters program. Smart meters are digital electric meters that collect energy-usage information and securely send it to ComEd. In addition to eliminating estimated bills, smart meters give customers access to more information about their electricity usage.

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps eligible low income households pay for winter energy service.

Rental Assistance

If you’re looking for an affordable home to rent, ILHousingSearch.org is a fast, easy-to-use search tool that lets you look for rental housing using a wide variety of criteria and special mapping features. You’ll find color photos and detailed information about each unit. The service also provides links to housing resources and helpful tools such as an affordability calculator, rental checklist and information about renter rights and responsibilities.

Disaster Assistance

Anyone who sustained losses or damage from the severe storms and tornadoes on November 17, 2013 should register for disaster aid. Residents can apply for assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on their toll-free number (1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired) and online at www.disasterassistance.gov.

More information on disaster recovery resources is also available at ready.illinois.gov.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides service members, veterans and eligible surviving spouses with housing assistance that can help you retain, repair or adapt your home.

The Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan, also called the Streamline Refinance Loan, can help you obtain a lower interest rate by refinancing your existing VA loan.

Additional support is available to help veterans modify their existing home to account for a disability, apply for property tax reductions and access mortgage delinquency assistance for both VA and non-VA loans.

If you need to find employment or apply for unemployment support, visit the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) website. IDES is the state agency that pays unemployment benefits and administers the employment service and Illinois Job Bank to connect Illinoisans to jobs throughout the state.

Additional support for Illinois residents looking for work is available through the American Job Center (AJC) website. AJC provides access to federal and local resources that help people find a job, identify training programs, gain skills in growing industries and apply for financial assistance.