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Housing Resources, Inc. proposes local homebuyer education and counseling to expand first‑time buyer access
Summary
Housing Resources, Inc. (HRI) requested CDBG funds to establish a dedicated homebuyer education and counseling presence in Kenosha, offering HUD‑certified workshops, bilingual classes and 1‑on‑1 counseling with TriMerge credit reviews and action plans; committee asked about local staffing, board representation and prior Kenosha client counts.
Housing Resources, Inc. (HRI) presented a request to fund homebuyer education and counseling services in Kenosha, with an emphasis on first‑time buyers and financial empowerment. Lawrence Kirby (vice president community manager, JPMorgan Chase) and Deshika Kidd (program manager) described monthly HUD‑certified six‑hour homebuyer workshops offered in English and Spanish, an online self‑paced option and individualized 1‑on‑1 counseling appointments that include a TriMerge credit review and an action plan.
Kidd said counseling covers credit repair, budgeting, loan product identification and referrals to lenders and real estate professionals. She described partnerships with WIBBIC, KILA (Kenosha Emergent Leaders Academy), Racine/Habitat for Humanity and United Way; HRI said it has provided closing‑cost assistance in the past and that clients supported by its counseling accessed millions in responsible mortgage loans in partner counties.
Committee members asked how many Kenosha residents HRI has helped historically, whether the requested staff would be locally based and how HRI coordinates with local housing programs (for example, a city home‑repair or homebuying program). HRI said it will station counseling capacity in Kenosha, add Kenosha representation to its board and provide data on prior Kenosha clients upon request.
