{"product_id":"2940148349624","title":"The State of the Housing Counseling Industry","description":"In 2007, approximately 1.7 million individuals and families in communities throughout the country \u003cbr\u003ereceived housing education and counseling from morethan 1,800 non-profit organizations approved \u003cbr\u003eby the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The types of services provided \u003cbr\u003eby these agencies address a broad spectrum of housing issues, including helping renters to become homeowners, helping homeowners to maintain, improve, or refinance their home or to avoid \u003cbr\u003eforeclosure, helping people experiencing homelessness to find housing, and helping people of all \u003cbr\u003etypes with fair housing complaints or financial management challenges. \u003cbr\u003eThe housing counseling industry has grown rapidly since the early 1990s. In 1994, 244,000 \u003cbr\u003eindividuals received one-on-one counseling from HUD-approved counseling agencies. By 2007, the \u003cbr\u003enumber of individuals receiving one-on-one counseling had increased to 1.2 million, with another \u003cbr\u003e500,000 individuals receiving housing education through group sessions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUp through 2005, a large share of the growth in housing counseling occurred among those seeking \u003cbr\u003ehelp to buy a home. To a significant degree this surge in pre-purchase clients reflected the emphasis placed on counseling as a means of preparing low-income households for homeownership. \u003cbr\u003eHomebuyer education and pre-purchase counseling are understood by policymakers and the mortgage lending industry to be important tools in helping low-income households become successful homeowners, even though the impact of education and counseling on mortgage delinquency and default rates has not yet been fully documented.","brand":"ReadCycle","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47072804143344,"sku":"2940148349624","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940148349624_p0.jpg?v=1763702348","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940148349624","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}