Overview of Housing Counseling Disaster Recovery Services

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Aron Chandler
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1 Overview f Husing Cunseling Disaster Recvery Services Husing cunselrs have the knwledge and skills t supprt disaster recvery effrts. They can help husehlds navigate the disaster recvery prcess, access recvery resurces, keep their finances in rder, manage their credit, and develp plans t repair their hme and avid freclsure. They can help peple understand insurance, Federal resurces, and financial prducts, and als avid scams. They can als prvide advice n husing rehabilitatin, including cntracting, ptential health hazards, and safe renvatins. This verview prvides a summary f the challenges with which husing cunselrs can help, a list f respnsive husing cunseling services, and sme guidance n hw Husing Cunseling Agencies (HCAs) can implement pst-disaster husing cunseling services. SUMMARY OF POST-DISASTER HOUSING CHALLENGES Pst-Disaster Husing and Financial Challenges Barriers t financial resurces: Denials r inadequate respnses frm recvery prgrams Lack f respnse, delays, and denials frm insurance cmpanies Prblems refinancing r btaining new mrtgages Frced mrtgage payffs Cmplicatins due t title issues Financial prblems smetimes caused by disasters: Lss f incme frm disruptins in paychecks, businesses, and rent payments Increased financial needs t address hme repairs and the cst f displacement Inability t make mrtgage and ther debt payments Difficulty accessing assistance prgrams: Insufficient infrmatin abut resurces and assistance Cmplicated prgram rules (e.g., frbearance, buyuts, hme elevatin) Husing Cunseling Respnse Husing cunselrs can: Wrk with lenders, insurance cmpanies, and public prgrams t help clients understand their ptins and rights. Educate lenders abut pst-disaster challenges, including title issues. Discuss frbearance. Help clients navigate the prcess and file appeals, and help clients understand their rights. Advcate n behalf f husehlds with recvery prgrams, lenders, and insurance cmpanies. Help hmewners apply fr mrtgages, insurance, and gvernment assistance. Husing cunselrs can: Review budgets and create new financial plans. Address credit and debt issues. Help link prperty wners with ptential tenants searching fr new hmes. Cunsel abut and reprt scams and fraud. Negtiate with banks and creditrs fr payment plans. Husing cunselrs can: Cnnect hmewners with recvery infrmatin. Explain prgram rules. Assist with applicatins.

2 Pst-Disaster Husing and Financial Challenges Challenges with the recvery prcess: Difficult decisins regarding whether and when t rebuild r repair husing Difficulty finding and negtiating with cntractrs Health hazards in the hme Difficulty btaining clear title t prperties Challenges beynd husing: Need fr scial services Barriers t access, including limited English prficiency and visin r hearing impairments Husing cunselrs can: Husing Cunseling Respnse Help families make lng-term plans. Prvide educatin abut the renvatin and cntracting prcesses. Cunsel n healthy husing and safe rebuilding. Mnitr fr speculatin and fraud in cntracting and reprt it t the authrities. Cnnect hmewners with legal services. Husing cunselrs can: Crdinate with case managers at scial service agencies. Make referrals t legal and ther services. Prvide translatin and interpretatin services. SERVICE OFFERINGS HCAs ffer a range f services frm individual cunseling t grup educatin. They can als link clients t ther services. And in sme markets, HCAs may establish pst-disaster prgrams t respnd t the acute needs f the mment. One-n-One Cunseling Typically, HCAs ffer hmebuyer cunseling, freclsure avidance cunseling, renter cunseling, and ther services aimed at helping peple find and keep their husing. Pst-disaster, the emphasis will tend t be n managing the financial impacts f the disaster and addressing the necessary repairs and renvatins needed. Supprt in these areas ften will mean helping clients navigate the varius resurces and systems in a pst-disaster envirnment. It may als require finding alternative husing and ther supprt services. Tpics fr cunseling include: Financial assessment and planning. Cunselrs can help husehlds address their pst-disaster financial situatin and avid deepening financial lsses and debts. Help clients: Assess their current financial status and the strain n incme caused by the disaster. Assess the family s shrt- and lng-term husing needs and financial resurces. Budget fr shrt- and lng-term living expenses. Develp an actin plan t clarify the client s needs and gals, and determine actin steps. Negtiate mrtgage and rent frbearance. Safeguard against fraud and scams.

3 Pst-disaster resurces and prcedures. Cunselrs can help clients access apprpriate resurces frm gvernment prgrams and insurance cmpanies. Help clients: Identify apprpriate prgrams. Understand pst-disaster ptins, such as hme elevatin grants and prgrams that prvide funding t relcate t safer areas. Cmplete applicatins fr Federal, State, and lcal assistance. Review insurance plicies and rules. File insurance claims. Create a system fr maintaining receipts and prf f rebuilding prgress. Advcate fr themselves and escalate issues with prgram administratin and insurance cmpanies. Rebuilding prcess. Clients may need infrmatin and guidance regarding the rebuilding prcess. Help clients: Access all available resurces t help with rebuilding. Budget fr the renvatins and repairs. Find, hire, and supervise a cntractr. Navigate pst-disaster requirements, such as hme elevatin and insurance. Address pst-disaster hazards, such as mld and lead-based paint. Plan fr the next disaster. Grup Educatin HCAs can stretch staff resurces t reach mre peple by ffering grup educatin classes. Because HUD requires that tpics ffered in grup classes als be ffered in ne-n-ne cunseling, HCAs may find it helpful t ffer intrductry classes t prvide verviews f key material t grups f clients with similar needs, and then supplement thse classes with ne-n-ne cunseling fr individual clients, as needed. Grup classes have the benefit f bringing tgether peple with similar needs t help them build supprtive cmmunities. Ideal tpics fr grup educatin mdules include the fllwing: Disaster recvery prgrams Federal, State, and lcal prgrams Types f prgrams: rebuilding, elevatin, and buyuts Applicatin prcedures Insurance claims prcess Hme and fld insurance rules Claims prcess

4 Financial planning Budgeting: Revising a husehld budget in light f a lss f incme and higher expenses Mrtgage relief r frbearance ptins Hme repairs Hw t hire a cntractr Hw t address mld and ther pst-disaster health hazards Guidance fr d-it-yurself repairs Hw t avid scams r price guging Relcatin Decisin t stay r g Husing ptins Hw t navigate the rental market Small-rental prperty wners Repairs Renting in a pst-disaster market Other Services Offered by HCAs In sme instances, HCAs may design additinal prgrams t respnd t the acute needs f their cmmunity pstdisaster. Such effrts shuld be crdinated with ther service prviders t ensure that the HCAs d nt duplicate ther effrts. HCAs are well qualified t run the fllwing types f prgrams: Hme-sharing prgrams. Match hmewners in need f additinal incme with ptential tenants wh need shrt-term rentals. Relcatin prgrams. Help families wh want t relcate by linking them t services and cunseling in ther areas, and help track displaced families that need help returning t their hmes r nearby cmmunities. Matching prgrams. Fr neighbrhds with prperties fr sale, identify eligible buyers. Husing prgrams. Prvide affrdable husing, either wned and perated by the HCA, dnated by banks r businesses, r frm husing freclsures. Lan prgrams. Serve as a nnprfit lender fr hme repair lans r dwn payment assistance. Supprt fr Federal prgrams. Distribute assistance dllars n behalf f Federal, State, and lcal entities. Fundraising prgrams. Raise and distribute philanthrpic disaster assistance funds.

5 IMPLEMENTING POST-DISASTER COUNSELING PROGRAMS While HCAs are well psitined t ffer pst-disaster cunseling and educatin services, the nature and scpe f disaster recvery prgrams require sme adjustment t standard HCA practices. HCAs will need t train their cunselrs n new infrmatin, scale-up their peratins, and reach ut t new clients. Cunselr Training T prvide effective cunseling, cunselrs will draw n their financial analysis and planning skills, their knwledge f husing markets, and the hme purchase and financing prcess. Hwever, cunselrs may need t refresh their knwledge n sme tpics, such as mrtgage frbearance and insurance cverage, and learn new infrmatin abut disaster prgrams and recnstructin. Training fr cunselrs shuld address: Case management. Cunseling after a disaster may be mre lng-term and cmplex than typical cunseling that fcuses n a single transactin, such as a hme purchase r a lan mdificatin. Cunselrs need t cnsider a brader scpe f challenges and smetimes bring additinal resurces r refer their clients t ther experts. Training shuld cver the range f challenges faced by husehlds pstdisaster and the apprpriate respnses. A lcal scial services agency r lcal HUD field ffice may be able t prvide such training. Insurance prducts and claims prcess. Cunselrs must knw what is typically cvered by hme insurance and fld insurance. They als must knw hw t read plicies, cntact insurance representatives, and help clients fill ut claims. It may be pssible t engage a lcal insurance agent t train cunselrs. Alternatively, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a helpful webpage that prvides infrmatin fr plicyhlders. Disaster recvery prcess and prgrams. Cunselrs must be familiar with the disaster recvery prcess and the prgrams available in the area. Use the resurces in this tlkit t prvide an verview f the disaster recvery prcess. Partner with prgram administratrs wh are recipients f disaster recvery funding t btain training and/r materials n all recvery prgrams available in the area. Hme repair and cnstructin. Cunselrs need a wrking knwledge f hme repair, cnstructin, and the cntracting prcess s that they can help hmewners determine their needs, find qualified cntractrs, and supervise the cnstructin prcess. Review ptential changes t rebuilding requirements and fld maps that may affect hw and where rebuilding ccurs after a disaster. Cnsider inviting a trusted lcal cntractr t give a presentatin t cunselrs abut the cntracting prcess and cmmn issues in hme repair.

6 Health hazards in the hme. When cunseling clients abut returning t their hmes and making repairs, cunselrs shuld address the ptential mld issues in hmes that were flded, as well as ther husehld hazards, such as lead-based paint, radn, and pests. Mre details are available in the Cunseling fr Healthy Hmes After a Disaster Checklist. Legal issues. After a disaster, sme hmewners may find, in the prcess f applying fr disaster recvery funding, that they d nt have clear title t the prperty. Renters als may face disputes with their landlrds that may require legal services. Cunselrs can cnnect hmewners and renters t legal services firms that can help clear cludy title issues and help adjudicate disputes with landlrds. Invite a trusted legal services prvider t teach cunselrs hw t identify legal issues and when t seek legal cunsel. Prfiteering and scams. The scarcity f resurces pst-disaster can make it easy fr vendrs and cntractrs t raise prices r engage in ther illegal r unfair practices. Scam artists may take advantage f vulnerable peple. Cunselrs, therefre, must be trained t recgnize the signs f scams, fraud, price guging, and fair lending vilatins. As these prblems tend t be specific t the disaster, the Cnsumer Finance Prtectin Bard, the Federal Trade Cmmissin, and USA.gv pst infrmatin n pst-disaster scams and abuses. Client health. The stress assciated with lss after a disaster may manifest itself in physical and mental health issues fr the cmmunity. Cunselrs shuld be trained t recgnize the signs f physical r mental health prblems and refer clients t apprpriate supprt. Invite lcal healthcare prviders t present t yur staff abut hw t recgnize instances when clients shuld see a medical r mental health prfessinal. Ideally, HCAs can find training resurces lcally, but if such resurces are nt available, they may find resurces frm natinal rganizatins, such as NeighbrWrks, UnidsUS, RCAC, and Natinal Cmmunity Reinvestment Calitin. Outreach Pst-disaster utreach must be mre vigrus than during rdinary times. Cmmunity members are in greater need f cunseling services at a time when they are likely t have burdens that make it difficult fr them t seek ut and access services. The HCA shuld meet peple where they are, finding apprpriate places t reach peple directly. This may mean visiting disaster shelters, c-lcating utreach wrkers with disaster prgram staff, and reaching ut t nearby cmmunities fr displaced residents. HCAs als shuld leverage relatinships with banks, affrdable husing rganizatins, and ther service prviders t expand their reach. Keep in mind that simple advertisements and flyers are unlikely t reach peple. Persn-t-persn utreach is preferable. Als, keep in mind the needs f peple with limited English prficiency.

7 Internal Systems HCAs shuld assess their existing systems fr intake, dcumentatin, dcument strage, and ther key functins t cnfirm that they can handle an increased vlume f cases and a wider variety f cases. Fr example, intake prcedures may need t be mdified t ask a new set f questins. Databases may need new fields r frms. Electrnic strage may need t be increased. Additinal staff may be needed t increase capacity and the skill sets indicated under the sectin n training abve. And t supprt new staff and prgrams, cnsider whether new prcedures and prtcls are needed. Fr example, HCAs may need t change emplyee prcedures arund wrking remtely, taking time ff, and respnding t inclement weather. Partners Meeting clients full recvery needs will require mre than husing cunseling. HCAs shuld be prepared t refer their clients t agencies that can help them meet their needs. See the partner summary fr a full list f ptential cmmunity partners wh can wrk with HCAs t help husehlds get back n their feet and stabilize their husing and financial situatins.

CA Consumer Advisory

CA Consumer Advisory CA 2008-1 Cnsumer Advisry Cmptrller f the Currency Administratr f Natinal Banks Washingtn, DC 20219 May 16, 2008 (Superseded by CA 2009-1 n April 21, 2009) OCC Cnsumer Tips fr Aviding Mrtgage Mdificatin