The dynamics of the housing market are constantly changing, as are the best practices for guaranteeing effective, sustainable service for the clients of a housing counseling agency. We have always considered the accessibility of our services to be paramount to the Center's mission. That is why we have created a model around providing valuable services at little or no cost to our clients.

This is not to say that there are no costs whatsoever to what the Center does, of course there are. And the funding associated with those services is no less prone to change than any other aspect of the agency and the functions we perform. We accept these adjustments, even when they may be less than ideal, and embrace any challenges they pose. We also accept the responsibility to make sure that the agency is fiscally sustainable so we may continue to provide services to all that demand them.

Previously, we offered enrollment in our Home Buyer Education (HBE) seminar free-of-charge, but due to recent funding cuts, we are regrettably required to begin charging a fee to all attendees. Effective July 1st, 2014, every registered attendee for an HBE seminar will be assessed a $25 fee.  

Since the start of the online version of our HBE course, we've charged a $25 fee. Starting immediately, the fee for enrolling in our online course will be $99.  

These increased fees reflect not only our changing funding structure, but also the increasing demand for our HBE seminars. Our commitment to delivering timely, accurate, and useful information through these workshops remains our top priority.  

We encourage anyone with any questions or concerns regarding this change to please contact us at info@centerforfinancialhealth.org. 

Here at the Center, we have the utmost admiration for the men and women who serve in our armed forces. It takes an incredible amount of sacrifice and selflessness to have the job of protecting our everyday freedoms that we regularly take for granted. It's quite difficult to overstate the gratitude we owe to everyone who defends the American way of life. 

Veterans look on as they learn about how the Home Buying process.

To celebrate Armed Forces Day, we created a Home Buyer Education Seminar exclusively for veterans. The class was taught by former service members, including our own Jonathan Bailey. While the course 

was structured like any other HBE workshop, the content was tailored solely toward veterans. The course highlighted in detail some of the very favorable lending programs offered by associations like the VA and others. We also looked at other incentives for active and former service men and women who are also first time home buyers.

If you are a veteran or active service member and desire to attend a specialized HBE workshop, please contact us and let us know you're interested at info@centerforfinancialhealth.org. 

We contribute a large part of the success we've enjoyed at the Center to the team that has been assembled around its mission. We take great pride in employing thoughtful, hardworking individuals who are passionate about creating lasting change in their community. It's a lot more than taking home a paycheck for these folks. It's about being a part of a positive impact

Katrina with MSHDA advisor Sharon Evans.

in their community and ensuring a better future for generations to come.  

The Building Michigan Communities conference is an annual event sponsored in part by MSHDA. At the conference, members of community agencies from around the state gather to identify and address significant barriers to thriving towns and cities. It's an opportunity to collaborate and share ideas with colleagues and the expert presenters featured at the conference.  

Award ceremonies are also held at the conference, recognizing the exceptional work carried out by those who are changing their communities for the better in real time. We are humbled to share that our senior housing counselor, Katrina Maddox, was honored with the distinction of "Housing Counselor of the Year". We couldn't be more proud and no one deserves this award more than Katrina, but good luck getting someone as modest as herself to tell you!  

The agency as a whole is enriched by the presence of Katrina. Her experience firstly as a lender, then a housing counselor, is unrivaled. The relationship she maintains with her clients is exemplary. Some may think that she has merely received the most back-pats because of her longevity at the position; nothing could be further from the truth. You would be incredibly hard-pressed to find someone who upholds the integrity of the client-counselor process more than Katrina. She sincerely believes in empowering clients to be critical and informed when it comes to the home-ownership process. This goes without mentioning all of the assistance she has provided to seniors as a fully-accredited reverse mortgage counselor.  

We are continually inspired by the work of Katrina and her accomplishments. We are also grateful for the experience and expertise she brings to the agency. Congratulations, Katrina!  

Any client of the Center will tell you about our holistic approach to educating today's home buyer. For us, the actual purchase of the house is only half of the equation. Maintaining and preserving your investment is just as important. In fact, the last portion of our HBE workshop is dedicated solely to home maintenance. It has long been the vision of the agency to offer an extended course devoted entirely to Do-It-Yourself home maintenance. And just recently, we did that precisely with the initial session of our DIY Home Maintenance series. We brought in experts to instruct participants about repairing drywall and saving on energy costs. With hands-on interaction, attendees can learn for themselves and improve upon their restoration skills.  

The course is put on through a partnership with the Ingham County Land Bank. In addition, we also have individual sponsors for each session. For this past class, it was Home Depot and Thermal Boundary. This provides a consistent stream of new content to provide to not only new participants, but participants from previous classes as well.  

To register for an upcoming class, please call (517-708-2550) or visit our website at centerforfinancialhealth.org. See you there!