- - Spanish Coalition for Housings beginnings were the result of a broad coalition of groups from Chicagos North side and South side that came together in the early 1960s to address issues facing the Latino community. The two main issues that emerged were employment and housing. At the time, Latinos were facing difficulty obtaining entry-level jobs and accessing education. Latinos were also facing redlining from banks and difficulty in getting loans approved due to language barriers and lack of information. Two working groups were formed, the Jobs Coalition and the Housing Coalition. The Jobs Coalition was successful in obtaining commitments from Illinois Bell to hire more Latinos. The Housing Coalition participated in organizing efforts and held regular meetings with FHA, HUD and the City of Chicago Department of Urban Renewal. Although the group tried to stay together, it was clear that there were different priorities for the North side and the South side. In the South side, jobs were a pressing issue. In the North side, the riots in Humboldt Park made housing a priority. Eventually both groups formed their own organization, Spanish Coalition for Jobs in the South side and Spanish Coalition for Housing in the North side. - - The formative years were challenging, but hopeful. SCH represented the Latino community as part of the civil rights movement, always mindful to connect local issues with larger movements. SCH tackled hot issues such as redlining, discrimination in housing, and lack of interest from financial institutions. This was at a time before the passage of the CRA Act and before big banks had neighborhood branches. SCH boldly answered these challenges with a two-fold strategy: advocacy and education. In 1973, SCH became the first Latino organization in Chicago to be certified as a Housing Counseling Agency by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. In 1992, SCH was selected to provide a pre-purchase and foreclosure prevention counseling. Recently, Spanish Coalition for Housing worked with the FDIC to translate the Money Smart program into Spanish and is seeking to be a test site for the Fannie Mae Spanish counselor on-line. SCH has also become an expert in layering subsidies and affordable programs, a strategy used by housing developers that is now necessary for many low-income families seeking to become homeowners. SCH has offices in Humboldt Park, Pilsen and South Chicago. -

The Spanish Coalition for Housing (SCH) is the lead agency helping Latino families with their housing needs in the greater Chicagoland area. Spanish Coalition for Housing was created in 1966. Its mission is to provide comprehensive counseling, education and housing resources necessary for housing product consumers to develop competence and responsibility in meeting their financial and housing needs; provide the necessary information and assistance to renters and homeowners, enable them to avoid rent delinquencies, mortgage defaults and foreclosures; aggressively market available resources to all Spanish speaking persons and others who require advocacy to which ensures that they have equitable opportunity to access resources.

HOME BUYING COUNSELING SCH is already ahead of the curb, our pre-purchase counseling numbers are on the rise, in 2008 we counseled over 500 potential homebuyers and our enhanced financial literacy program is supplying a steady increase for 2009. Today we face a very grim outlook due to the mortgage crisis and a lack of confidence that is really a paralyzing fear that has impeded many from implementing a vision that looks to the future. Along with all the negatives, this crisis has also created some real opportunities for homeownership; home prices at a bargain (below market), lower interest rates (4-5%), a buyers market due to low sales numbers, and motivated sellers. SCH is taking advantage of these conditions to assist Latinos and others to aggressively prepare future buyers to rebuild their budgets and credit scores to purchase and keep their homes. FORECLOSURE PREVENTION COUNSELING Our target population is the low-to-moderate income homeowners who are in or at risk of foreclosure due to adjustable-rate mortgages and other exotic loan products. The Obama Administration's Homeowner Affordability and Stability Act will offer assistance to homeowners making good-faith effort to stay current on their mortgage payments. SCH intervention is necessary to assist these homeowners understand their options and guide them through the process of the workout package that best fits their needs to get back on track and current with their mortgage. Also included is a rapid-response for families at risk of foreclosure, a thorough assessment session to identify the cause of default and all underlying factors so as to determine the best course of action to remedy or minimize the negative financial impact on the client. In cases where foreclosure is unavoidable, SCH assists in transitioning families to rental opportunities in order to stabilize their housing situation. FINANCIAL LITERACY TRAINING SCH comes into contact with many low-to-moderate income people who have the best intentions of building financial independence, however, they usually have immediate problems like low monthly incomes, unpaid growing debt, derogatory credit reports, and a defeated spirit. The program is building money management skills so clients can stretch their incomes to cover their monthly bills and basic necessities such as housing and utilities, food and clothing, etc. Proper management of money can go a long way in minimizing or eliminating the unpaid growing debt and improving derogatory credit scores and changing their habits from spending money to saving money. Provide one-on-one counseling and group sessions of financial fitness workshops that focus on budget preparation. These workshops will educate, empower and stabilize our clients financial situation and encourage them to take steps to rectify their finances and move towards becoming mortgage ready under the stricter guidelines for loan approval. DOWN PAYMENT and CLOSING COST ASSISTANCE - When high home prices were out of range for low-to-moderate income home buyers, SCH became a leading force in layering subsidies with the homeowner voucher program, down-payment and closing-cost assistance from Illinois Housing Development Authority, New Homes for Chicago Programs, Employer Assisted Housing, Community Land Trust projects, and most recently Federal Home Loan Bank Program. This work has not been easy and there was many an obstacle along the way, i.e., high home prices, low incomes, credit challenges and other loan underwriting barriers. However, with commitment and vision, SCH made it possible for lower income families to acquire homeownership, many that never dreamed of or had given up on the possibility of owning their own home. - Chicagoland Bilingual Landlord Association: Through SCHs Chicagoland Bilingual Landlord Association, low-to-moderate income landlords become educated and empowered to better manage their properties, apply their rights and responsibilities and provide families with safe, decent and affordable rental units. - - CHA/ Housing Choice Voucher Intake: SCH offices serve as bilingual intake offices for the CHA programs and the Housing Choice Voucher program. Individuals go to SCH offices to obtain assistance during their initial intake, annual renewals and any issues of program compliance. - - Homeless Prevention Program: In cooperation with Chicago's goal to end homelessness, SCH provides counseling and funds (when available) for families with rental, utility and mortgage arrearages in an effort to avoid homelessness. - - LIHEAP: The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program pays a significant portion of the utility bill for low-income households. SCH assists family in applying and receiving LIHEAP assistance