Download Fact Sheet (38kb PDF) Housing

The mission of the Housing Department is to empower all persons in our community with the knowledge to recognize housing discrimination, serve as a social advocate for fair housing justice, and ensure that all Lorain County residents are equipped with the knowledge to become informed consumers in the 21st Century.

Our goal is to minimize housing discrimination and to help adults attain economic self-sufficiency through homeownership and entrepreneurship.

For over two decades the Housing Department has been the primary agency that monitors and helps to enforce the Fair Housing Laws and Ordinances in Lorain County. The LCUL Housing Department is dedicated to eliminating illegal practices and social barriers to fair housing. We routinely give presentations to social, civic and community organizations, realtors, lenders, public officials, and neighborhood residents to promote safe, affordable housing for all Lorain County residents.

HUD Certified Housing Counseling Agency

The LCUL believes that the best investment a person can make is purchasing a home. That is why we are dedicated to offering one-on-one housing counseling sessions to provide greater opportunities for homebuyers and homeowners.

The Lorain County Urban League, Inc. is a HUD Certified Housing Counseling Agency. What does that mean to you? It means we can counsel residents on various housing topics, including:

• Pre-purchase housing counseling
• Pre-rental counseling
• Mortgage default & Rent delinquency
• Foreclosure counseling
• Money Management & Credit counseling
• Debt Management
• Landlord/Tenant Counseling
• Fair Housing Counseling

For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact Mindy Wright at 440-323-3364 x22 or at mcooper@lcul.org.

Housing Department Program Services/Activities

Housing Discrimination

• Provides counseling and supportive services to complaints
• Assists the Ohio Civil Rights Commission/HUD with investigation of housing complaints
• Recruits persons to conduct discrimination testing
• Seeks redress through referrals, voluntary compliance or legal action

Landlord/Tenant Services

• Referral resources (i.e. Legal and financial services, and local government departments)
• Provide educational information and seminars to landlords and tenants
• Provide supportive services for conflict resolution

Outreach

• Conduct educational presentations, workshops, and seminars
• Distribute brochures and other informational materials
• Disseminate information via the Internet, radio public announcements, newspapers, etc.
• Advocacy and networking activities with financial institutions, housing providers and groups, realtors, and all involved in the housing industry

Housing Information Services

• Provide rental assistance for first-months rent or delinquency rent
• Provide mortgage delinquency assistance along with case management services
• Distribute affordable housing and government subsidized rental housing listings
• Work with local Homeless Task Force groups to help end chronic homelessness
• Provide referral letters to applicants awaiting public housing assistance

Housing Counseling

• Provide pre-closing counseling session to clients prior to loan closing
• Provide in-home post-counseling session to see how client is faring
• Budgeting and credit counseling
• Fair Housing Laws
• Pre-purchase housing counseling
• Foreclosure counseling
• Provide referrals
• Collaborate with other organizations to provide first-time homebuyer sessions

Our Sponsors and Contributors

We thank the following organizations for their material and/or financial support of our Housing Program:

City of Elyria		City of Lorain
City of North Ridgeville		City of Oberlin
City of Sheffield Lake		Lorain County Commissioners
The Nord Center		National Urban League
National Fair Housing Alliance		Ohio Civil Rights Commission
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development		United Way of Greater Lorain County