Housing Counseling Services
Servicemembers face unique housing and financial challenges. Credit.org, a HUD approved agency, is aware of them and offers free financial education, foreclosure prevention and housing counseling for all members of the military community.
You may find the podcasts on the web at http://hopenow.com/podcast.php, or download them using iTunes. Credit.org features in Episode #3: How to Ask for Help. Melinda Opperman, President of credit.org, speaks with host Ray Pennie about ways servicemen and women can reach out for help and overcome the challenges that keep individuals and families from getting the assistance they need.
Get support for:
- PCS orders when relocating and vacating an existing home that you have a mortgage on
- Insight on issues related to the Servicemembers Civil Service Relief Act (SCRA)
- Mortgage relief programs and opportunities to assist military families
- Awareness of mortgage scams targeted at military homeowners
- GSE and mortgage servicer programs intended for servicemembers
Credit.org’s counselors are available to answer your questions, understand your unique situation, determine your eligibility for available military programs and create an action plan to accomplish your goals – all at no charge to you.
Additional Military Resources
Military Saves Campaign
Military Saves is an initiative that encourages the military community to meet immediate needs and build long-term wealth through saving and debt reduction. By joining the campaign, you’ll be a part of a national movement dedicated to personal financial stability. Financial stability is about a lot more than knowledge – it takes consistent action over time. Military Saves is a campaign to make every military community a supportive environment to assist in that.
A key objective for credit.org is to encourage people to put their financial plan (“budget”) in writing. People who have a written plan are more likely to accomplish their goal. Something magical happens when a goal is written down. The brain starts working on solutions and you become emotionally committed.
A second objective is to encourage savings, especially an “emergency fund.” People who have a savings plan in place save more than people who don’t. Research shows that people with a savings plan in place save about twice as much as those with no plan. Learn more »
US Dept. of Defense Homeowners Assistance Program
The Homeowners Assistance Program (HAP) is authorized in Section 1013 of the Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act of 1966, as amended. The law provides some monetary relief to eligible servicemember (including Coast Guard) and federal employee (including non-appropriated fund) homeowners who suffer financial loss on the sale of their primary residences when a base closure or realignment announcement causes a decline in the residential real estate market and they are not able to sell their homes under reasonable terms or conditions. Learn more »