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Goal: Increase the Availability of Affordable Homes
Role: Help Residents Succeed

States and localities can help families access opportunities, achieve stability, manage expenses, and build the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions about their housing options. Pre-purchase homeownership education helps families consider the move into homeownership, navigate the complicated home-buying process, and improve their credit and debt profile so they can access more private-market mortgage capital at reasonable rates. It is important to marry this "pre-purchase" strategy with a "post-purchase" homeownership education and counseling strategy designed to help existing homeowners retain their homeownership status in the face of confusing mortgage products, home maintenance challenges, rising interest rates, and rising property tax bills. Especially in light of the rising use of complex adjustable-rate and non-conventional mortgage products, the longevity of families' homeownership may be at risk without foreclosure prevention programs designed to help keep them in their homes. Finally, communities can help families afford the full costs of their homes by reducing the amount of money families spend on home energy needs.

Click on the policies below to learn more about ways to implement this strategy.


Expand homeownership education and counseling

Homeownership Counseling
Homeownership education and counseling offers important benefits that help families to both attain homeownership and sustain it once they're in place.




Prevent foreclosures and help affected renters and owners
Foreclosure Prevention
Foreclosure prevention strategies can help stem the tide of rising foreclosures. Legal protections and other assistance for renters and owners affected by foreclosure can help families manage the transition. Communities can also take action to stabilize impacted neighborhoods.

Reduce household energy costs

Fall Creek Place
Rent and mortgage payments make up just one component of the costs associated with housing. By helping to reduce energy consumption and costs associated with transportation and utilities, development and land use policies can help families achieve greater housing affordability.


Photo credits (L to R): homeownership counseling photo courtesy of NHS of Chicago; foreclosure prevention photo credit: John Booz, courtesy of Valerie Denney Communications; Fall Creek Place, Indianapolis IN -- photo credit: Chris Palladino, Courtesy of Mansur Real Estate Services, Inc.