(Maryland DHCD) Community Services Connection Newsletter - COVID-19 Resources and Updates

COVID-19 Resources and Updates DHCD will continue to update its COVID-19 resource page that can be found here. State and Regional Resources Loss Mitigation Tools for Housing Professionals - State and Local Resources The FHLBank Atlanta, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Rural Development will be hosting a webinar on June 17 regarding loss mitigation tools from the state, county and city level.  My Home My Deed Virtual Home Owner Clinic My Home My Deed is beginning virtual home owner clinics to provide clients basic explanations of deed issues and provide resources to guide them on decisions they need to make. If the client is not named on the deed, the attorney will discuss how to open an estate and the client is encouraged to come back to MVLS to record their new deed. In either scenario, the client can potentially receive ongoing legal representation to either record a new deed or to plan their estate free of charge for those who qualify. Participants can register by visiting myhomemydeed.org or by calling 443-451-4082. Protect Week - Protecting Older Americans from Financial Exploitation Protect Week is a week long campaign beginning June 15 through June 21 with the goal of providing resources for older individuals to avoid financial exploitation. This campaign is put together by the Maryland Office of the Attorney General, the Maryland Department of Aging, the Maryland Department of Aging, the Maryland Office of the Commissioner of Financial Regulation, the Maryland Department of Human Services and other leading consumer groups. Urban Institute's Homeowner's Guide to Mortgage Solutions During COVID-19 The Urban Institute has created a guide for homeowners who are worried about making their mortgage payments to provide information on available resources and how to obtain them.  National and Federal Resources Impact of Federal CARES Act Eviction Moratorium on ESG and CoC Programs In late May, HUD provided questions and answers with guidance on Section 4024 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Section 4024 of the CARES Act imposes a temporary moratorium on evictions. The eviction moratorium went into effect on March 27, 2020 and will be in effect for 120 days from that date. The temporary eviction moratorium applies to the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) and Continuum of Care (CoC) Programs. More information can be found here. HUD FY 20 Supplemental Comprehensive Housing Counseling Grant Program The FY 2020 Supplemental Comprehensive Housing Counseling Grant Program makes $3.5 million in FY 2020 funding available to eligible housing counseling agencies that were not awarded direct grants under the FY 2019 CHC NOFA. Please visit  www.grants.gov to view the FY 2020 Housing Counseling NOFA. On June 16 HUD will be providing a webinar to share guidance on how to apply for this grant. Scams and Frauds Related to COVID-19 and Grant Funding Due to cases of scams and frauds, HUD grantees are asked to be cautious of erroneous grant funding opportunities requesting up-front fees to disseminate the funding. HUD does not contact grantees asking for up-front costs or fees to disseminate grant funding. Additionally, HUD does not send grant announcement notifications via informal channels such as a personal email to an individual. If you suspect that communication you have received could be a scam, contact your local field office to verify the information before responding or clicking on any links. Avoid clicking on hyperlinks to websites asking for personal information or direct deposit information, even if the communication looks official. Report potential scams or suspicious communications to: HUD Office of the Inspector General (OIG): hotline@hudoig.gov Federal Trade Commission (FTC): Complaint Assistance: spam@uce.gov Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF): ffetf@doj.gov NeighborWorks' Training for Housing Counselors Below is a list of upcoming webinars from NeighborWorks: June 16, 2020: HO033 Protecting Credit and Avoiding Scams During the COVID-19 Financial Crisis June 18, 2020: HO031 Avoiding Rental Eviction amid COVID-19 June 23, 2020: HO023 Foreclosure Intervention Services During Disaster Recovery June 25, 2020: HO021 Stress Management for Housing Counselors June 30, 2020: HO034 Student Loan CARES Act Relief in Response to COVID-19 Visit their training and services website for more information about available courses and scholarships.  NCAP Releases Resources to Address Structural Racism The National Community Action Partnership has released resources to assist Community Action Agencies in addressing structural racism. They provide a list of action items agencies can take along with a list of resources providing information on how communities of color are disproportionately affected by COVID-19.  Network Job Announcement Open Position with Garwyn Oaks Northwest Housing Center Position: Housing Counseling Manager GO Northwest Housing Resource Center is seeking an energetic, skilled, solution oriented self-starter to join our team as our Housing Counseling Manager to conduct and manage homeownership and financial education and counseling services and activities. Responsibilities include conducting workshops, counseling, client data input , and file maintenance; maintaining effective relationships with clients, lending and real estate partners; knowledge and use of standard housing counseling programs and protocols per HUD guidelines and work independently and with the team to help people purchase and retain their homes successfully. Expectations for this position include: excellent interpersonal , communications, and organizational skills; effective problem solver, experienced in working with diverse clientele; possess strong computer proficiency and operations skills , working experience with using client management/reporting systems, knowledge of homeownership incentive and mortgage programs and able to work independently and as part of a team, demonstrating strong time management skills. Interested applicants can email a cover letter and resume to Mereida Goodman at mgoodman@go-northwesthrc.org.  Please email CSConnection.dhcd@maryland.gov  if you would like us to include news, events or job openings related to your organization in our upcoming newsletter.