Connecticut receives federal funds to educate homeowners

ROCKY HILL, Conn. (AP) — The Connecticut Housing Finance Authority has received federal funding to counsel Connecticut homeowners facing possible foreclosure and educate first-time homebuyers.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded Connecticut $140,723. The funding will supplement CHFA's annual investment of about $590,000 in homebuyer education and counseling.

David Hopkins is president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Hartford, an agency receiving some of the funding. He says the money allows his organization to provide one-on-one counseling sessions and classes that help first-time homebuyers understand the process of buying a home and the responsibility of owning and maintaining it.

CHFA partners with 11 HUD-approved housing counseling agencies across Connecticut to provide both homebuyer education and counseling programs at no cost to residents. More than 5,600 households were served in 2018.