The Housing Counseling program sustains a network of housing counseling agencies that provide culturally and linguistically relevant counseling and education in over 30 languages. These services focus on low- and moderate-income homeowners and renters in Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) communities. The program also offers opportunities for training, peer learning, and capacity-building support to strengthen the network of agencies.
Since 2010, National CAPACD’s Housing Counseling Network has collectively leveraged millions of dollars in local grant resources to provide critical counseling and education services to low-to-moderate-income AA and NHPI households, including tenants, prospective homebuyers, and homeowners. These services have:
Homeownership remains a primary vehicle through which households can build wealth, yet low- to moderate-income AAs and NHPIs face significant challenges, including housing discrimination, rising rents, displacement due to gentrification, and limited access to affordable and safe housing. National CAPACD works with our members to address these issues and narrow the wealth gap through linguistically and culturally appropriate housing counseling, which is critical to mitigating the continued loss of wealth and growing poverty in these communities.
Over the years, National CAPACD has expanded our network of housing counseling agencies serving AA and NHPI communities from 5 organizations at the start of the foreclosure crisis to 17 organizations across 9 states. National CAPACD is committed to sustaining and expanding the Housing Counseling program network to benefit low-income AA and NHPI communities all across the country.
For prospective housing counseling agencies, please contact Brian Kim, Housing Capacity Building Manager, at brian@nationalcapacd.org
For HUD reporting and assistance for current housing counseling agencies, please contact Savitri Boyer, Housing Program Manager, at savitri@nationalcapacd.org and Kara Justeson, Housing Program Coordinator, at kara@nationalcapacd.org.
This work has been generously supported by:
An example of the impact of housing counseling services from Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries (FIRM), a housing counseling agency in National CAPACD’s Housing Network:
Facing financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a client came to FIRM after falling behind on her mortgage payments. When her income was insufficient to cover her housing payments, she felt overwhelmed and began searching for assistance online. Through her search, she discovered the option to connect with a housing counselor at FIRM who spoke her native language.
With guidance from her housing counselor at FIRM, the client identified financial goals and challenges. Together, they explored community resources to reduce her expenses and worked closely with her loan servicer to find a solution. As a result, the client secured a loan deferral and later enrolled in a California mortgage relief program, which eliminated her deferred payments entirely.
Thanks to FIRM’s counseling services, the client not only avoided foreclosure but also achieved financial stability and retained her home. This transformative experience brought her peace of mind and improved her and her family’s quality of life, demonstrating the critical role of culturally and linguistically competent housing counseling in fostering resilience and stability in times of crisis.
