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Kingston, NY - U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today announced that the Rural Ulster Preservation Company (RUPCO) has been awarded more than $56,000 by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through its Housing Counseling Program. The grant will allow RUPCO to counsel low- and moderate-income families in Ulster County on how to secure affordable housing and achieve homeownership.
"With home prices soaring in the Hudson Valley, families with modest incomes are struggling to locate affordable housing," said Hinchey. "Rents and homelessness are on the rise, while fewer families are able to become home owners. RUPCO's initiative, with the help of these federal grants, teaches Ulster County residents how to find and afford their piece of the American Dream."
RUPCO has been awarded a $36,582 Comprehensive Housing Counseling grant, and a $19,528 Housing Choice Voucher grant, both from HUD's Housing Counseling Program. The objective of the Housing Counseling Program is to expand homeownership opportunities and improve access to affordable housing. Counselors provide guidance and advice to help families improve their housing conditions and meet the responsibilities of tenancy and homeownership. Counselors also help borrowers avoid inflated appraisals, unreasonably high interest rates, unaffordable repayment terms and other conditions that can result in a loss of equity, increased debt, default, and eventually foreclosure. In 2004, RUPCO counseled more than 750 households on critical housing issues.
RUPCO has been creating housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income households in Ulster County since 1981. It offers an array of housing services, programs and projects dedicated to meeting housing needs.
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