Grant Awarded to Central Illinois Housing Counseling Agencies to Enhance Financial Education Programs

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CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) — A significant boost in financial education is on the way for housing counseling agencies statewide, courtesy of $6 million in funding. Numerous agencies in Central Illinois are among those set to benefit from this financial injection.

Last week, the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) revealed plans to allocate this grant money to enhance services such as pre-purchase homebuyer education and foreclosure prevention counseling. This initiative aims to support thousands of families throughout Illinois.

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Housing Counseling Agency	Service Area
Community Investment Corporation of Decatur, Inc.	Decatur, Macon, Christian, and Logan County
Embarras River Basin Agency Inc.	Clark, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Jasper, Lawrence, and Richland County
Justine PETERSEN	Champaign, Madison, and St. Clair County
METEC	Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford, Stark, Knox, Fulton, and Mason County
Mid Central Community Action	McLean and Livingston Counties
Navicore	Peoria County (All IL Counties virtually)

In the Central Illinois region, several agencies will receive a portion of this funding:

A comprehensive list of agencies receiving these grants can be accessed here.

Build credit readiness and financial literacy
Access down payment assistance and affordable mortgage programs
Understand property taxes and insurance and gather helpful tips on maintaining your home
Protect their homes through foreclosure prevention counseling

Through this grant, housing counseling agencies are empowered to provide Illinois residents with essential financial management tools:

“The Housing Counseling Resource Program has played a huge role in helping the Embarras River Basin Agency (ERBA) continue to support individuals and families looking for safe, stable, and affordable housing,” said Sandy Deters, Housing Counseling Coordinator at ERBA. “With IHDA’s support, we’ve been able to provide the kind of counseling that really makes a difference, helping people understand their options and make confident decisions about their housing. This funding will allow us to deepen our impact over the next two years, reaching more households and strengthening the communities we serve. Additionally, because of the HCRP grant, we were able to leverage these funds as a match to secure two additional grants bringing $130,000 in home repair assistance to families in our area.”

You can find the contact information for each organization on the IHDA’s website.