Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Maryland and Delaware Inc

The goal of our program is to assist low-to moderate income families and individuals gain a full perspective of their financial situation, identify their goals and challenges and develop a plan to achieve them. We help consumers understand and alleviate financial and housing issues and achieve long-term financial security. All CCCSMD services are designed to provide individuals and families with the information, tools, resources and support they need to achieve financial independence. Our specialized financial advocates can advise clients on managing their money, offer solutions to their current financial issues, and develop a personalized plan to alleviate or prevent future difficulties.

When families are financially secure, they are better able to buy homes, support businesses, and contribute to the local economy, helping their communities thrive.

CCCSMD provides the following programs and services: budget and credit counseling; HUD approved housing counseling including: pre-purchase/homebuyer counseling, rental counseling, foreclosure mitigation and eviction prevention counseling as well as reverse mortgage counseling; bankruptcy pre-filing counseling and pre-discharge education; outreach and financial education workshops; student loan counseling; debt management programs; credit building/rebuilding; and a variety of online learning courses designed to help individuals and families position themselves for lasting financial success while enhancing their overall financial literacy skills. Services are provided in English and Spanish at locations throughout our service area and by live webinars. To date, we have collaborated with a wide range of strategic partners and helped thousands of individuals achieve their goals. Clients have enhanced their financial literacy in areas of budgeting, saving, homeownership, planning for financial goals, identity theft, how to handle an emergency, strategies to help avoid foreclosure and much more.

CCCSMD is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has been serving low and moderate-income individuals and families in Maryland since 1966. We have a strong local presence with offices in Maryland (Baltimore and Columbia), Virginia, Florida and California and can serve individuals across the country through in-person, telephone and online venues. CCCSMD provides nationwide counseling and education services in English and Spanish.

CCCSMD is a HUD-approved National Intermediary; Accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA) and the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC); Approved by DOJ/EOUST as provider of Bankruptcy counseling/education; and Licensed by Maryland's Office of the Commissioner of Financial Regulation.

CCCSMD has the knowledge, experience and capacity to manage the program described in this proposal. Our leadership team including Helene Raynaud, President/CEO and Susan Fitz, Vice President of Counseling, Outreach and Programs are poised to manage our counseling and education programs. All counselors are certified though the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) as a Certified Credit Counselor and through the Department of HUD as a Certified Housing Counselor. CCCSMD has 15 NFCC Certified Credit Counselors and 8 HUD Certified Housing Counselors. In addition, we have counselors who are certified through the Department of HUD to provide Reverse Mortgage Counseling (HECM).

In 2020, approximately 3,500 individuals received one on one counseling and 2,500 individuals participated in financial education workshops.

During this pandemic, CCCSMD is dedicated to the safety of our staff, clients and community partners. CCCSMD continues to assist consumers via telephone, online and through virtual webinars. We will resume in-person counseling, education and outreach as soon as we can ensure the safety of our staff and clients.

In 2020, CCCSMD provided 214 group financial education workshops serving 2,558 individuals and 3,392 individual financial counseling sessions serving over 5,000 individuals. Sixty-five percent of our clients are low-to-moderate income individuals and families that reside in under-served minority communities. Our client demographics are: 47% African American, 33% white, 3% Asian, 2% Multi-race, and 15% other. Fourteen percent indicate their ethnicity as Hispanic.

Workshop participants take pre- and post-tests before and after a workshop to measure an increase in knowledge of the material taught. Clients who participated in financial education workshops demonstrated a 32% increase in knowledge.

CCCSMD recently was awarded HUD funding to provide Fair Housing Education and Outreach Initiatives in FY 20/21 from the Department of HUD. This award will be used to: facilitate workshops on Fair Housing Rights, conduct trainings for landlords, lenders, insurers and realtors, conduct trainings for potential victims of fair housing discrimination, develop a social media marketing plan to distribute fair housing information throughout Maryland, Florida and Virginia and establish a statewide collaborative fair housing initiative event in April during Fair Housing month.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the financial lives of households across the country. As clients fall behind on mortgage payments, rental payments, car loans and unsecured debt, CCCSMD will provide the support, resources and road map for struggling families to identify ways to meet their financial needs. CCCSMD anticipates providing individual counseling services to an estimated 1,000 individuals in areas specific to housing, budgeting, debt management, etc.

Collaborations: We continue to expand our community partner network to help meet the needs of our clients. We have recently engaged with organizations that assist victims of domestic violence, a rising issue and concern during the pandemic and time of social isolation. We are also continuing to forge new relationships with local housing organizations that assist low-to-moderate income families achieve homeownership. Finally, we have been quite successful in establishing partnerships with public entities that have the ability to reach large audiences, such as public libraries.