Federal funding announced to combat housing instability in Wyandotte County and 3rd District

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-3rd Dist., has announced that NeighborWorks America awarded $146,557 to Community Housing of Wyandotte County (CHWC) to provide counseling for households in the 3rd District of Kansas who are facing housing instability.

CHWC offers free and low-cost housing counseling, financial education, and purchase assistance for families.

This grant was awarded through the Housing Stability Counseling Program, which was created with funds from the American Rescue Plan. Rep. Davids is the only member of the Kansas delegation to vote for the American Rescue Plan.

"The pandemic put millions of people at risk of losing their homes and searching for assistance. Through the American Rescue Plan, help is here," Rep. Davids said. "This grant will allow Community Housing of Wyandotte County to increase their capacity to counsel and support folks in our district who are facing housing instability, helping more families keep their homes and get back on their feet financially."

"The HCSP grant award will provide much-needed support for CHWC's critical effort to keep Kansas City, Kansas families safely housed as we work beside our neighbors navigating the ongoing impact of COVID-19 in our community. We thank Congresswoman Davids for her advocacy for housing and neighborhood development in KCK neighborhoods," said Brennan Crawford, executive director and CEO of Community Housing of Wyandotte County.

With funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, NeighborWorks America designed the Housing Stability Counseling Program (HSCP). The program aims to help eligible nonprofits and agencies provide direct housing counseling services to individuals and families facing housing instability, such as eviction, foreclosure and homelessness.

Eligible HUD-approved intermediaries, state housing finance agencies (HFAs), and NeighborWorks network organizations applied for HSCP funding in June. The 131 recipients include 84 NeighborWorks network organizations, 18 HFAs, and 29 HUD-approved intermediaries. Each of these HUD-approved housing counseling agencies are set to assist consumers with foreclosure and eviction prevention and access to federal, state and local relief programs. HSCP will provide grants to more than 600 nonprofit counseling agencies and nearly 81,000 people will receive housing stability counseling. HSCP counseling will be provided in all 50 states including the District of Columbia and the U.S. Territories of Puerto Rico and Guam.

Federal funding for this grant was authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act, which Rep. Davids voted to support earlier this year. NeighborWorks America is a national, nonpartisan nonprofit that offers grant funding, peer exchange, technical assistance, evaluation tools, and access to training as the nation's leading trainer of housing and community development professionals.