Bureau of Housing Offers Counseling to County Residents

With the economy challenging homeowners and Carroll County home sales still down 28 percent from where they were a year ago, the Carroll County Bureau of Housing is now offering housing counseling services to county residents.

"We had the numbers to show that we needed to offer these services," said Rita Zimmerman, Deputy Director for the Department of Citizen Services and Bureau of Housing.

Zimmerman explained that the department had to meet requirements to become an Approved Housing Counseling Agency by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The process included an extensive application, certification that there is a certified housing counselor on staff, data that shows a need for the services in the community, and a HUD approved filing system to manage client information.

As a result, the Bureau of Housing is now offering county residents the following services; housing pre-purchase counseling; mortgage delinquency and default resolution counseling; and financial management/budget counseling. All services are free and open to residents of Carroll County. Services are offered Mondays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Those interested should call 410-386-3600 to make an appointment.  

"We have already added 6 new households and have a steady stream of calls coming in for the services," Zimmerman said.