Housing & Family Services is funded by the City of New York Housing Preservation Department under the Community and Neighborhood Preservation Consultant Program; New York State Housing and Community Renewal Neighborhood Preservation Program and Legislative Grant Program; the City of New York Department of Youth and Community Development, the Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP), the City of New York Department for the Aging and the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. Through this funding Housing & Family Services has been instrumental in the stabilization of hundreds of threatened multiple dwellings, the preservation of the scarce housing stock of Brooklyn and the preservation of homeownership throughout the five Boroughs of New York City as well as in Westchester, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties. The rights of minority, elderly, low-income and immigrant tenants and homeowners have been successfully defended preventing of homelessness and preserving neighborhood stability. The combination of poverty with immigrant/minority status produces a vulnerable population often intimidated by the system and unprepared to work independently to find solutions to mitigate the building conditions that they live under or understand the financial agreements entered when signing leases or mortgage documents. Our experience complemented by the bilingual abilities of our staff make it possible for us to assist these people in improving their living conditions and sustaining their housing situation. Almost reluctantly, owners and managers come to appreciate our assistance as their property values increase, their rents are collected, and they are again able to meet the financial responsibilities related to their property. Financial institutions required to work with us during the homeownership financial crisis learn that the help we provide not only benefits the homeowners but improves their customer relationships and streamlines the process of providing the financial mitigations prescribed by law.

Our ten-year participation in the Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP), a network of 89 non-profit housing counseling and legal services organizations helping NYS homeowners in default and foreclosure in every county of the state has given our staff and clients the support necessary for successfully completing mitigation. Services include assisting homeowners to apply for Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF), providing counseling to help homeowners keep their homes, advocating for homeowners in NY’s mandatory settlement conferences and in the judicial foreclosure process, redressing deed theft and mortgage fraud scams, helping families understand the foreclosure process and find alternative housing when they no longer can afford their home. We are proud of our relationship with the Center for New York City Neighborhoods who supervises the HOPP Program for the State of New York and coordinates the activities of the 89 organizations in the program along with the other HOPP Anchor Partner, Empire Justice Center. Funding through the CNYCN Homeowner Stabilization Services Program has made it possible for us to provide services to many more at-risk homeowners.