Housing Services and Community Development
Referral and Clearinghouse Information Services:

The Knoxville Area Urban League refers residents to needed services that might not otherwise be available to them. KAUL acts as a "broker" to connect clients, partners, and residents to existing services as not to duplicate services and to provide information concerning little known programs.

 


First-Time Home Buyer's Education Seminars:
The KAUL collaborates with local housing development agencies and financial institutions to present free monthly seminars to assist first-time homebuyers. Each two-session seminar details steps involved in selecting, purchasing, financing, and maintaining a home, especially for low to moderate income families.

Core Programs

■ Housing Counseling

■ Homebuyer's Classes

■ Budget and Credit Counseling

■ Mortgage Default / Delinquency Assistant

■ Fair Housing Education
Home Equity Conversion Mortgage Loan (Reverse Mortgage) Counseling:
This service targets seniors age 62 or older, who own and occupy a single-unit home (including FHA-approved condominiums and developments). The client must own the home free and clear, or be able to pay off any existing mortgage, liens, or back taxes with the first HECM dollars. Seniors in our community can remain in their homes for life with full ownership rights, while safely converting some of their home value into guaranteed monthly retirement income or cash reserves for any of their spending needs.

 

Foreclosure Prevention (Delinquent Mortgage) Counseling:
The Urban League works to KEEP families in their homes by providing qualified homeowners, who are behind on their mortgage payments, default counseling leading to forbearance agreements and repayment plans with their mortgage company. Through a grant funded by the East Tennessee Foundation, KAUL can provide a one-time payment for qualified low-income Knoxville City homeowners.

Budget/Credit and Financial Management Counseling:
The Knoxville Area Urban League Community Development Services stress the importance of good financial planning and management practices. Through a partnership with the American Express Foundation financial literacy counseling seminars help our clients to understand their spending habits and to give them guidance and tools to work to accomplish their goals.

Renter Counseling
Advise Tenants of their rights using guide provided by the Knoxville Legal Aide Society and other Housing Assistance organizations in the area. All information used is based on the Uniformed Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. A strong phone referral system helps clients locate resources needed to obtain and maintain housing.

Predatory Lending and Fair Housing
Predatory lending strips borrowers of home equity and threatens families with foreclosure. Often borrowers are deceived into accepting unfair loan terms, usually through aggressive sales tactics. Often they are taken advantage of because of their lack of understanding of terms and involvement in complicated transactions. Even more informed consumers are occasionally fooled. Anecdotal information suggests predatory lending is concentrated in poor and minority communities, where better loans are not readily available. Signals of predatory lending practices include but are not limited to: Aggressive and deceptive marketing; Making loans without ample consideration to the borrower's ability to pay; Financing excessive fees into loans; and Charging higher interest rates than a borrower's credit allows.