Housing & Financial Counseling

Greater Southwest Development Corporation (GSDC) is a HUD  Certified Housing Counseling Organization that provides FREE  comprehensive housing counseling and education.  GSDC offers Pre-Purchase education and counseling for first-time  home buyers. Our first-time homebuyer workshop will walk you through the process of buying a home, from start to finish, what to expect and help make sure you’re ready. One-on-one counseling sessions help prepare future home buyers to become mortgage-ready. Our counselors will review your credit report, help you determine how much home you can afford, and work with you to create an action plan to start your home-buying journey. Once you complete the class and counseling, you’ll receive a certificate of completion that satisfies the requirement for down payment assistance.

Our HUD Certified Counselors are here to help with foreclosure prevention. If you are struggling to make your mortgage payments, our counselors can work with you and your lender to help you keep your home. We’ll review your budget, make suggestions, and connect you to any available resources that may help.

In partnership with the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA), our counselors guided over 100 households through applications, counseling, and mortgage payment assistance up to $60,000 as part of the Illinois Emergency Homeowner Assistance Fund (ILHAF) program. This assistance helped homeowners avoid the risk of default, foreclosure, or displacement due to financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

To find out more about GSDC’s Housing Department and services, contact us at financialservices@greatersouthwest.org or call 773-735-6727. If you would like to start working with a counselor or register for one of our upcoming workshops, click the registration link here.