Hello Housing Counseling

This posting may jump around a little, I want to talk about too many things to focus on just one!

I worked three days last week and got a jump start on learning things that most of my peers won't have to know for several years... primarily everything that goes into a mortgage/buying a house.  My main duty is assisting Pam, the permanent Housing Counselor, with everything that she does.  So apart from trying to absorb all of this new information, I also began doing client intakes.  This means that anytime someone called or came by the Housing Development Alliance, I was their first contact.  During this interaction I would determine whether they wanted a new home or rehab on their current house, and then ask a long list of questions in order to determine their current financial situation, and whether they would qualify for a loan.  A big part of this process is determining their level of income, since the HDA is committed to serving people who are low and very low income.  These terms may seem vague, but there are real values behind them.  Most of it is based on the Area Median Income (AMI) of the county.  At or below 50% of the AMI is considered very low income and at or below 80% AMI is considered low income.  As I learn more, I will be able to talk to the client further through the process in collecting the appropriate documents and helping the client to actually apply for the loan or grant.  In other words- I will sometimes serve as a loan originator.

I would also like to share this description of Buildcorps:
"The largest competitively funded AmeriCorps program in Kentucky, Build Corps serves homeless and at-risk men, women and children throughout the Commonwealth.
Build Corps members provide housing case management services, construction and weatherization services and financial literacy education to low income Kentuckians. Members make an in-valuable contribution to their host sites by providing direct service to clientele; recruiting, training and supervising volunteers; raising funds; and building community awareness about challenges faced by homeless and inadequately housed individuals."
I will be learning much more about Buildcorps at my training in Northern Kentucky next Tuesday-Friday.

And finally just a few fun facts about my life in Eastern Kentucky:
1. The only place to buy wine that we have discovered so far is the CVS pharmacy
2. I watched a live recording of What's Cookin Now the world's only LIVE radio cooking show (that we know of).  It comes on the radio once a month
3. One of the chefs of What's Cookin Now did a review of a recently opened local restaurant, reading it provides a pretty accurate view of Hazard living.  Also I ate at the Treehouse Cafe and enjoyed my sandwich very much.  Here is the link:
http://www.whatscookinnow.org/?p=541