NeighborWorks online training helps counselor prepare for HUD exam

Mary Ann Cuellar knows the importance of resources. So in March of 2020, when the pandemic forced many financial coaches and housing counselors to provide services in an online-only format, she immediately began calling her clients on the phone to make sure they were okay and had the resources they needed. 

Cuellar, a housing counselor with SouthFair Community Development Corporation, says communication has been key to keeping clients engaged during the pandemic. Every step of the way, Cuellar provides the families she serves with resources—helping them prepare budgets and search for part-time jobs, and letting them know they aren't alone. "It's all about humanity, dignity and showing you care," she says. The once-in-a-generation snowstorm that slammed the area in February didn't stop Cuellar, either. When the power went out, Cuellar made calls to her clients by candlelight to check in on them and make sure they were safe. 

Since its inception in 1991, SouthFair, which provides sustainable affordable housing and fosters economic development, has maintained a staff of five or less, including interns. Though it's small, the agency takes great pride in the strong ties they maintain with the community. 

Cuellar joined SouthFair in 2017 and has worked in the housing and community development for more than 40 years. In her current role, she provides free one-on-one pre-purchase counseling for potential homebuyers and connects clients with a lending partner once they're mortgage ready. In addition, she coordinates SouthFair's free post-purchase education workshops and helps with the marketing of homes, the homebuyer program and community events.

Currently, Cuellar is working to pass the HUD Housing Counselor Certification Exam, and SouthFair is researching and working on achieving their HUD Approved Counseling Agency certification as the August 1 deadline for compliance draws near. "We're still in the process of applying to become a HUD-certified counseling agency," Cuellar says. "In fact, we're probably going to be the tiniest agency that's ever tried."

Cuellar has chosen NeighborWorks training to prepare for her certification exam. Cuellar points to the real-life experience of the faculty as a key to what makes NeighborWorks training particularly effective. "You come away with good, human, common-sense tips," Cuellar says. 

Cuellar has been attending NeighborWorks training since 2012, and she's earned numerous certifications over the years. "Whenever NeighborWorks brings something to the table, and they have a resource that's being offered, you can rest assured that it's dependable, it's workable and that it's doable," Cuellar says.

NeighborWorks Online Training Scholarships – Underwritten by Wells Fargo 

NeighborWorks America is the nation's leading trainer of community-development and affordable-housing professionals, awarding more than 18,000 certificates in fiscal year 2020. NeighborWorks has developed a strong curriculum of online courses that address a wide variety of issues and topics related to building capacity and strengthening counseling services, especially related to the COVID-19 pandemic and preparing counselors to take the HUD certification exam. 

"As we work to continue to be a trainer of choice, our online trainings feature best practices with a focus on real time issues and critical operational importance," says Cristi Ford, senior vice president of training for NeighborWorks America. Beginning in June 2020, the Wells Fargo Foundation partnered with NeighborWorks to provide complimentary scholarships for these trainings. To date, the foundation has awarded more than 17,000 scholarships.

Throughout the pandemic, Cuellar took self-guided courses and webinar trainings focusing on foreclosure prevention and managing student loan debt. "The scholarships have been a lifeline," Cuellar says. In particular, Building Skills for Financial Confidence provided key resources and strategies to engage with her clients. "If it wasn't for the scholarships with no ties to having to be a HUD-approved counseling agency, attending all of these trainings just would not be possible," Cuellar says. As a result, she has added critical resources and information to her "tool kit" to serve the community that she wouldn't have otherwise been able to obtain. 

"If the Wells Fargo wagon had not come down our street in Dallas, Texas, I'd be sitting here just reading a manual," Cuellar says. "Instead, the Wells Fargo scholarships put us on the edge of competition in Dallas County. With the kind of training I've been able to take, we can compete with any agency, no matter what the size." 

Cuellar is currently preparing to take the HUD Housing Counseling Certification exam and after two previous attempts, she participated in the NeighborWorks HUD Preparation and Study Skills (P.A.S.S.) intensive training. She now feels confident and prepared, and she found Tips, Tools and Techniques for Taking the HUD Exam a critical class to take. She also urges others who were previously unsuccessful at passing the exam to take the class before attempting it again. "This course is just like being in the exam room," Cuellar says. "The questions are much the same. It shows how questions are mixed and how complicated the math will get, too, so you can prepare," she says. 

The deadline for organizations to become HUD-approved is August 1. Organizations must attain approval to be eligible to receive HUD funding after this date. NeighborWorks trainings, which help housing counselors prepare for the HUD exam, can help. Visit our training page for a list of available courses.