Housing and Community Development

HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

As the oldest HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) approved Housing Counseling Agency in Western New York, the Buffalo Urban League's Housing and Community Development (H&CD) Department delivers solutions by providing our neighbors with homeownership education, first-time homebuyer assistance, financial empowerment (budget and credit) coaching, foreclosure prevention counseling, predatory lending avoidance, affordable rental search coaching, fair housing education, and minority and women business loan and technical assistance.

Our team of highly trained housing professionals have nearly 100 years of combined real estate, banking, mortgage, and small business development experience. We strive to ensure that all of our programs are available to everyone in need in Erie County focusing on the City of Buffalo. You can routinely find our team in our neighborhoods, meeting with people one on one and conducting workshops, with the overall goal to educate and increase our neighbors’ knowledge base.

Foreclosure Prevention Program
Our HUD-certified housing counselors assist homeowners facing foreclosure by providing one-on-one counseling and advocacy. We support clients with:

Navigating the foreclosure process
Exploring options such as loan modifications, partial claims, or loss mitigation alternatives
HUD-certified financial, credit, and budget counseling
Referrals to legal partners for tax foreclosure or more complex cases

Rapid Rehousing Program

Designed to support individuals and families experiencing homelessness by quickly securing stable housing and connecting them to supportive services. Our assistance includes:

Short-term rental assistance
Housing search and placement
Case management and stabilization services

Homelessness Prevention Program
Aimed at preventing individuals and families from entering homelessness due to economic hardship. Services include:

Payment of past-due rent
Case management to address housing stability
Budget counseling and resource referrals

First-Time Homebuyer Counseling
Our HUD-approved counselors help first-time buyers navigate the path to homeownership. Services include:

Pre-purchase education
Budget and credit counseling
Guidance through mortgage readiness and down payment assistance programs

Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency (BURA) 2025 Housing Program – Intake Only
Our department supports the intake and pre-screening process for the BURA 2025 Housing Rehabilitation Program. While we do not administer the funding directly, we ensure that eligible homeowners are connected to BURA for home improvement assistance.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Direct assistance to 52 small businesses including 33 new start-ups and 19 existing businesses.
First-time home purchases for low to moderate-income families resulted in $2,100,000 in new mortgages.
Approval of 70 households completely paying off home loans to prevent foreclosure.

We offer a variety of housing services, including first time home-buyer education and counseling, financial capability (budget and credit) education and counseling, mortgage foreclosure intervention counseling, rental assistance counseling, and fair housing education and counseling. We are the oldest HUD-certified housing counseling agency in the area.

GENERAL PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Housing Counseling provides the following core services:

First-Time Homebuyer Education and Counseling:

We provide first time homebuyer orientations, which gives an overview of the homebuying process. We then work one on one with the potential homebuyers to determine their mortgage readiness, and further guide them through the homebuying process. We will inform the client(s) of first-time homebuyer programs offered by local lenders and municipalities, which they may be eligible for. We also offer first time home-buyer workshops, which is the 8-hour workshop required by lenders in order to close on the new home.

Financial Capability Education and Counseling:

We provide workshops and presentations on topics such as budgeting, credit repair, banking, predatory lending, and avoiding mortgage foreclosure. Our presentations are targeted to the specific audience in order to meet their needs most effectively. We regularly conduct sessions in the community upon request. Additionally, we provide information at community events and health fairs. We also meet with individuals/households on a one-on-one basis to assist in establishing a spending plan (budget), and if requested, a credit review.

Mortgage Foreclosure Intervention Counseling:

Housing counselors work with homeowners and the lenders/servicers to determine an affordable solution in order to resolve or prevent mortgage delinquency or default which may cause loss of a home.

Rental Education, Counseling, and Financial Assistance:

Housing counselors work with tenants to locate, secure, and maintain affordable rental housing.

Fair Housing and Predatory Lending Counseling and Education:

We provide information to inform the public of their fair housing rights and responsibilities, and how to report an alleged violation of those rights.

PROGRAM SERVICES/ACTIVITIES

First Time Homebuyer Education and Counseling

Financial Capability (Budget/Credit) Education and Counseling

Mortgage Foreclosure Prevention Counseling

Rental Assistance and Eviction Prevention Counseling

Fair Housing Information

FUNDERS

The Housing and Community Development Program is supported by the following funders:

City of Buffalo, New York
Town of Amherst, New York
Erie County, New York
United Way of Buffalo and Erie County
Office of the New York State Attorney General
National Urban League
US Department of Housing and Urban Development
Various Financial Institutions

PROGRAM IMPACT POINT

Served 287 individuals/households, with the following services:

• 126 participants in the financial capabilities workshops

• 60 participants in the First-Time Homebuyer program

• 15 participants in the one-on-one financial capabilities counseling program

• 49 participants in the mortgage foreclosure intervention counseling program

• 37 participants in the rental assistance counseling program