Letter to the Hon. Ben Carson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development - Scanlon Leads Push for HUD to Extend Deadline for Critical Housing Program

Letter

Dear Secretary Carson,
We write to urge the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to delay the
housing counselor certification deadline for at least one year, in light of ongoing interruptions to
test preparation and administration caused by COVID-19. COVID-19 has created multiple
obstacles to certification for prospective housing counselors. In-person test trainings are now
indefinitely postponed, nearly all in-person testing is canceled, proctored at-home online testing
is fraught with logistical difficulties, and the ongoing economic crisis has created a substantial
demand for housing and community services. Given that the social disruptions caused by
COVID-19 will, at a minimum, continue through the end of the year, we ask HUD to delay the
August 1, 2020 deadline for housing counselor certification, and for HUD to make plans to
reasonably accommodate the needs of prospective housing counselors during this difficult time.
HUD's Housing Counseling Assistance Program has a successful record of helping low- and
middle-income Americans navigate the housing market, obtain a mortgage, and avoid
foreclosure and eviction. Housing counselors prepare consumers to make informed housing
decisions, increasing homeownership, saving people money, and ultimately ensuring that people
know about all the options and resources available to them. Housing counselors also have a
proven record of helping people through disaster preparedness, response, and recovery--
assistance that will undoubtedly be needed now during COVID-19 and in the upcoming
hurricane season.
Community development organizations nationwide have testified to the difficulties in meeting
the August 1, 2020 certification deadline.1 All current test preparation must either be selfadministered or done virtually, with both methods of instruction less effective than traditional inperson classes. Further, test administration has been seriously disrupted. Between statewide
public health directives and a prudent desire to reduce the spread of COVID-19, nearly all testing
sites in the United States are closed. Based on current and projected data on COVID-19, it is
extremely unlikely that enough in-person testing sites will be operational by August 1--and even
if some sites were to open between now and August 1, it would leave test takers with less than
two months to figure out their testing situation.
HUD currently allows counselors to take a proctored, at-home certification exam. We greatly
appreciate HUD providing this flexibility; however, an online test should supplement, and not
replace, in-person testing. At-home testing presents many logistical challenges and puts the
burden of compliance on the test taker. To ensure that no eligible housing counselor is
unnecessarily excluded from certification, HUD needs to extend the certification deadline to
accommodate the need for in-person testing.
Keeping the August 1, 2020 deadline will severely disrupt the provision of housing counseling
services at the same time that many Americans will be seeking support. Housing counseling will
soon be in greater demand as the effects of high unemployment and reduced economic activity
reverberate through the housing market. Millions of Americans from all communities are at risk
of foreclosure or eviction, and many will require the advice and guidance provided by the
Housing Counseling Assistance Program. However, many HUD Certified Housing Counseling
Agencies stand to lose their certification and federal funding if their current counselors are
unable to be certified.
During these incredibly difficult times, it is absolutely necessary for HUD and other federal
agencies to ensure the continued provision of vital social programs. We ask that you take these
concerns and extraordinary circumstances into consideration and extend the August 1, 2020
housing counselor certification deadline for at least one year.