Program Overview

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• Program Overview

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What is NCLR?
Mission The National Council of La Raza (NCLR)
the largest national Hispanic civil rights and
advocacy organization in the United States
works to improve opportunities for Hispanic
Americans. Through its network of nearly 300
affiliated community-based organizations (CBOs),
NCLR reaches millions of Hispanics each year in
41 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of
Columbia.

• Grew of the 60s civil rights movement responding
  to the need to organize to develop Latino
  communities and organizations
• Developed a network of affiliated 501c3
  organizations who provide a broad array of
  services
• Conduct research and advocacy around issues that
  impact Latinos nationwide
• Provide technical assistance and funding in
  specific service areas Housing Community
  Development Education Health and Workforce
  Development
• Conduct Annual Conference Capital Awards and
  Alma Awards annually

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Why Homeownership?

• Latinos and African Americans Homeownership rates
  are 25 to 30 below whites
• Homeownership can be a path to build financial
  security and allows a family to better understand
  the US financial services industry
• Creates equity that can leverage a childs
  college education
• Provides a safety net in times of financial
  crisis
• Help couples plan for retirement
• NCLR had developed expertise through its analysis
  and participation in pilot programs targeting
  Latino Homeownership for a decade prior to the
  creation of the NHN in 1997
• Lenders wanted a organizations to facilitate
  Homeownership services in the Latino community
• Homeownership counseling is a proven method for
  helping Latino and immigrant families access to
  what is first wealth-building asset.

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What is the NHN?

• A network affiliated agencies partnering with
  NCLR on homeownership and other wealth building
  programs
• Organizations that receive funding and technical
  assistance for housing counseling and financial
  education from NCLR
• An Affiliate/ NCLR staff collaboration allowing
  NCLR to developed the best practices in the
  housing counseling industry
• Sophisticated management systems and program
  models allowing broad replication

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Network Growth and Locations

• Families served FY 1997-2007
• Households counseled since 1997 172,694
• New homeowners since 1997 24,970

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The Role of Housing Counselors

• The NHN homeownership counseling model emphasizes
  on one-on-one counseling and provides the
  following analysis for clients.
• Prospective homebuyers
• Review client credit reports
• Conduct a basic financial assessment
• Analyze the familys potential loan options
• Create an individual plan to reach the familys
  desired goal
• Current Homeowners
• Offer advice on refinances versus home equity
  loans
• Help navigate credit card offers
• Provide home maintenance tips
• Borrowers in danger of foreclosure
• Access underlying cause of default
• Help identify most desirable options for saving
  the home
• Create a household budget or modification options
• Provide representation before servicer

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Technology Tools

• NCLR recognized technology was central to
  increase efficiencies and increase number of
  clients served
• The entire financial service industry was moving
  to on-line information transfer so Counseling
  needed to as well
• NCLR was the design consultant to one of the
  major on-line client management systems
  CounselorMax
• NCLR requires that all NHN organization to use
  one of the three client management systems
  available.
• NCLR provides deep and comprehensive technical
  assistance on how to use this online technology
  effectively, including individual and classroom
  trainings.

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Technology Tools (Continued)

• CounselorMax and Home Counselor Online (HCO)
  web-based softwares that allow counselors to
  manage their entire client load.

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Technology Tools (Continued)

• The extranet or Forum Ones project space is a
  private online community which facilitates
  communication with NCLR housing community
  development staff and fellow counselors.
• Download forms, documents, view announcements and
  program calendar.

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Technology Tools (Continued)

• NCLR has been exploring web-based trainings
  through Genesys Webinar tool as a way to
  communicate basic information to a broad
  audience.
• The Webinar introduces counselors to new
  reporting and technology requirements.

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Technology Tools (Continued)

• Macromedia Captivate software allows the creation
  of flash presentations or trainings which are
  executable multimedia files and may be
  distributed by CD-ROM.

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Technology Tools (Continued)

• Direct Lending Family is a new technology now
  being tested by pilot programs to give counselors
  direct communication with lender partners. This
  results in more efficient and accurate services.

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The Future Expand Foreclosure Prevention

• Expand capacity of all NHN organizations to
  provide foreclosure prevention services
• Developing new partnerships with mortgage
  servicers
• Develop the appropriate fee relationships with
  services as have been established with mortgage
  originators
• Develop effective ways to reach hard to contact
  families in danger of foreclosure

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The Future On-Line Origination Capacity

• Allows our groups to originate a lender partners
  mortgage product much easier
• Provides counselor and family mortgage rates and
  all closing costs before selecting a loan

• Counseling education fees for NHN organization
  easier to collect
• Will interface with client management systems
  increasing efficiency reporting

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The Future Economic Mobility Centers
The Economic Mobility Centers build upon
existing NHN program infrastructure to expand and
integrate services, including a combination of
case management programs and financial services,
designed to promote wealth-accumulations among
low-income and Latino families.