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BCD, Inc. Awarded Stimulus Funds for Housing Program
"I'm very excited we're receiving this money, now it's time to get to work," said Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola. On January 15, Stodola announced an $8.6 million dollar grant to renovate and build homes in targeted areas across Little Rock. BCD, Inc. will receive a portion of the funds, which come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the Stimulus Package. The Little Rock Housing Authority and Habitat for Humanity were also recipients of the grant.
Nearly 500 cities applied for the stimulus grant, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development approved just 79 applications. The money will go toward developing seven targeted areas including the 12th Street Corridor, where BCD, Inc. has already built 35 new homes since 2000. BCD Community Development Director Deborah Bell, along with BCD, Inc. Executive Director Rev. William Robinson, and Housing Director Darryl Swinton were all on hand for the announcement at Little Rock City Hall. The City of Little Rock hopes to build or renovate 80 to 90 homes by 2013.
Program Overview
BCD Affordable Housing Program is a city and state certified Community Housing Development Organization. The friendly and qualified staff offers flexibility to meet the needs of those seeking services and is certified to offer homebuyer counseling on site. Professional and courteous, the staff is always ready to put the needs of the homebuyer first.
We offer all of the services and training that customers need to shop for, purchase, rehabilitate, insure, maintain and manage a home and build assets through financial education, affordable housing and individual development accounts. Below is a list of our services:
Individual Homeownership Counseling
BCD provides free one-on-one counseling for individuals interested in purchasing a home. For more information, please contact Charles Vann at 501-379-1537 or cvann@bcdinc.org.
Homebuyer Education Classes
BCD is a certified HUD & Arkansas Development Finance Authority Homebuyer Counseling agency. We have a monthly scheduled eight-hour course that will give you an in-depth review of the entire homebuying process. After completion of the course, graduation certificates will be distributed that you can present to a lender or agency that requires you attend a homebuyer education class prior to releasing the loan or down payment assistance. The certificate is valid for one year. The classes are free. For more information, contact Ruth Jones at 501-379-1561 or rajones@bcdinc.org.
Foreclosure Intervention and Prevention
Facing foreclosure? Contact a counselor. You can also contact 1-888-995-HOPE, a national counseling service provided by the Homeownership Preservation Foundation. For more information, Contact Charles Vann at 501- 379-1537 or cvann@bcdinc.org.
Loan Prospector Outreach
Our counselors use an online program from Freddie Mac to assess a potential homebuyer’s readiness to apply for a mortgage and assists the counselor by customizing information that maximizes the client's pre-counseling process.
Contact:
Darryl Swinton
Director of Housing
Black Community Developers, Inc.
3805 West 12th, Suite 203
Little Rock, AR 72204
501-379-1539 Office
501-379-1577 Fax
dswinton@bcdinc.org