Housing Counseling

RCAC’s programs and services deliver solutions to complex community needs. Our local presence allows us to develop partnerships with communities to identify needs, set goals, and select the best options to meet those goals. RCAC and our partners provide the tools to create change and growth, but the communities chart their own course. Collaboration, plus community effort will equal community change. How can we help you?

RCAC’s Loan Fund is a financial resource for rural communities. The Loan Fund fills financing gaps and serves in unconventional markets. We offer loans for affordable housing development, environmental infrastructure, community facilities and small businesses in rural locations.

Decent housing, safe drinking water, education, financing, jobs, community facilities, leadership, families are the many facets to RCAC's work.

RCAC expands the knowledge base of the rural public through education and training. Our training expertise is in technical, financial, and administrative issues that affect rural communities. We take great pride in our professional trainer team's capacity and effectiveness. Our trainers maximize audience participation to keep trainings relevant and memorable.

RCAC's news and publications are a compilation of timely news, announcements and accomplishments produced for the rural development world.

Sub-standard housing and poverty are commonplace in low-income rural communities. Many of these communities also face daunting challenges to access safe, clean drinking water and to develop other vital infrastructure. These issues are often overlooked in policy because rural communities lack the resources, training or social networks that are found in urban areas. Learn how you can advocate for the under-served population in the West.

Founded in 1978, RCAC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that partners with rural and Indigenous communities to achieve their vision and well being through technical assistance, training, financial resources and advocacy. For more than 45 years, our dedicated staff and active board, coupled with our key values: leadership, collaboration, commitment, quality and integrity, have helped effect positive change in rural communities across the West. Learn more about who we are and how we operate.

Housing counseling

Housing counselors guide and advise consumers who are buying or renting a home, are homeless, are seeking reverse mortgages, have credit issues or are at risk of default or foreclosure. Housing counselors educate first-time homebuyers, help homebuyers select the right mortgage product and help buyers avoid predatory lenders.

RCAC is a HUD-approved national intermediary, and as such, provides technical assistance, training, and financial support to many housing counseling agencies serving rural communities throughout RCAC’s service area. RCAC’s Housing Counseling program builds the capacity of established and emerging housing counseling agencies, including tribal-based organizations. In fiscal year 2014, this resulted in housing counseling services to almost 8,000 clients. For a nationwide list of HUD-approved housing counseling agencies, visit HUD’s website. To submit your interest to be a HUD-approved counseling agency through RCAC, please complete a letter of interest – go here.

RCAC’s assistance to housing counseling agencies includes:

Housing counseling program planning and development
Internal systems and effective tracking of housing counseling clients
Marketing strategies for housing counseling programs
HUD housing counseling rules, regulations, and procedures
Fiscal management
Accessing other housing counseling financial resources
Pre & post-purchase housing counseling curriculum design
How to set up a foreclosure prevention program
Anti-predatory lending
Individual Development Accounts (IDA’s)
Fair housing

Please note that RCAC does not provide counseling services directly.

In 2016, RCAC became a HUD training partner. Classes will begin in October and are available to those employed by a HUD-approved counseling agency. Visit our Housing counseling training page for registration, fees and scholarship information.

Debt counseling program

College students are going into debt to finance their educations. This negatively affects their credit, ability to afford rising rents and obtain home loans. RCAC has a pilot debt counseling program at two colleges to help students understand the consequences of debt. Read an RCAC success story about the program here >>

Helpful links

MoneyGeek.com—The Help Homebuyers Shouldn’t Ignore

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If you would like to contact an RCAC housing counseling staff member, email: housing.counseling@rcac.org