How We Work

HPN’s Homeownership and Economic Mobility initiatives help members promote housing stability, expand access to sustainable homeownership, and create opportunities for low-income households to build wealth.

The team oversees counseling grant programs, providing program management, reporting, and opportunities for peer learning. A key part of this work is fostering strong relationships with HPN member program staff and supporting collaborative spaces such as Virtual Peer Exchanges and Communities of Practice (COPs) focused on Homeownership, Housing Counseling, and Resident Services. These efforts are further enhanced through sessions at member meetings.

HPN’s Homeownership team is dedicated to making affordable homeownership accessible for everyone. Through collaboration and peer exchange, we deliver impactful programs that drive meaningful change.

As a leader of the Equitable Homeownership Collaborative, HPN partners with eight Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) to create innovative financing solutions for underserved borrowers. One such initiative, Inspire100, is specifically designed to support low-wealth borrowers on their path to homeownership.

HPN was the first HUD-approved housing counseling intermediary, offering its members expert guidance, valuable resources, and practical tools to deliver impactful housing counseling in their communities.

Through initiatives like the Homeownership Partnership Integration Initiative (HPII), HPN strengthens its network of housing counseling agencies (HCAs) and the broader sector. HPII focuses on expanding access to housing counseling by improving data collection, integrating counseling into the mortgage process, and enhancing the financial sustainability of HCAs.

HPN connects resident services professionals nationwide to share best practices and tackle challenges in the field, fostering collaboration and innovation.

HPN leverages partnerships like Esusu to establish or enhance credit profiles through rent reporting to support members in improving residents' financial well-being. We also expand opportunities for renters by promoting HUD’s Family Self-Sufficiency program and offering resident-centered financial coaching.

In partnership with Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH), HPN is advancing knowledge and adoption of trauma-informed practices to enhance community satisfaction and support resident success.

HPN members and partners are making a difference across urban, rural, and suburban communities nationwide. In this video, we showcase the importance of resident services in affordable housing and demonstrate how, together, we create lasting impact.

This video was made possible with support from our Partner in Dreams, the Wells Fargo Foundation. A special thank you to Phipps Houses and Esusu for lending their voices to this project.

• Equitable Homeownership Collaborative and the Inspire100 Loan Product
  
• Realizing the Economic Mobility Potential of HUD’s Family Self-Sufficiency Program in the Multifamily Housing Sector
  
• Strengthening Housing Stability Report