Our award-winning ad campaign helps raise awareness of housing discrimination and calls on the public to report discrimination to HUD. The ads can be seen and heard on TV and radio nationwide. View the TV/Radio Ads.

Want advice on buying a home, renting, default, foreclosure, credit issues or reverse mortgages? HUD sponsors certain housing counseling agencies throughout the country who in turn give advice free or at low cost.

Making your home more energy efficient with ENERGY STAR can help to reduce high energy bills and improve comfort. Many common home problems like moisture on window panes; ice dams; peeling paint; and mold, can also often be solved by taking steps to improve energy efficiency.

Improving energy efficiency with ENERGY STAR is also an important first step in the growing trend of “green remodeling.” That’s because the energy we use in our homes often comes from the burning of fossil fuels at power plants, which contributes to smog, acid rain, and global warming. So, the less energy we use in our homes, the less air pollution we generate.

ENERGY STAR can guide you in making your home more energy efficient — whether you do-it-yourself or hire a qualified professional. Take these steps to get started or use the new ENERGY STAR Home Advisor to get specific, customized recommendations on how you can make your home more energy efficient, cut utility bills, and improve comfort — all while helping to protect the environment.

Analyze your Home’s Energy Use

If you have five minutes and your last 12 months of utility bills, use the ENERGY STAR Home Energy Yardstick to compare your home’s energy efficiency to similar homes across the country and get recommendations for energy-saving home improvements from ENERGY STAR. Or, hire a professional to perform a comprehensive home energy audit.

Air Seal and Insulate with ENERGY STAR Home Sealing

Sealing air leaks that cause uncomfortable drafts and adding insulation are two of the most cost-effective ways to improve the energy efficiency and comfort of your home. Use ENERGY STAR Home Sealing to guide you in making these improvements that every home should have.

Heat and Cool Efficiently

Learn to make smart decisions about heating and cooling efficiently. Change your air filter regularly, install a programmable thermostat, seal your heating and cooling ducts, and consider installing ENERGY STAR qualified heating and cooling equipment.

Veterans or servicemembers who have specific service-connected disabilities may be entitled to a grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for the purpose of constructing an adapted home or modifying an existing home to meet their adaptive needs.  The goal of the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant Program is to provide a barrier-free living environment that affords the veterans or servicemembers a level of independent living he or she may not normally enjoy.

There are two types of grants administered by VA, which are available to assist severely disabled veterans or servicemembers in adapting housing to their special needs.

To avoid becoming a victim of fraud, work only with a HUD-approved Title 1 lender. This allows you to select the contractor and helps to prevent inflated estimates that only increase costs.

The top 10 home improvements reported were:

1. Levered doorknobs.



2. Grab bars in bathrooms.



3. Levered faucets in kitchen sinks.



4. Handrails on both sides of stairwells and on front and rear steps.



5. Grab bars in showers; removal of any door threshold.



6. Movable shower heads for those who must sit.



7. Portable shower seats.



8. A bathroom with a bath/shower as well as a bedroom on the first floor.



9. Widened doors to accommodate wheelchairs.



10. Ramps for those using walkers and wheelchairs.

The Single-Family Housing Program provides homeownership opportunities to low and moderate-income rural Americans through several loan, grant, and guarantee programs. The program also makes funding available to individuals to finance vital improvements necessary to make their homes decent, safe, and sanitary.

Direct Loan Program (Section 502)

Under the Direct Loan program, individuals or families receive direct financial assistance directly from the Housing and Community Facilities Programs in the form of a home loan at an affordable interest rate.

Most of the loans made under the Direct Loan Program are to families with income below 80% of the median income level in the communities where they live. Since HCFP is able to make loans to those who will not qualify for a conventional loan, the HCFP Direct Loan program enables many more people to buy homes than might otherwise be possible. Direct loans may be made for the purchase of an existing home or for new home construction.

Loan Guarantee Program (Section 502) 

Under the Guaranteed Loan program, the Housing and Community Facilities Programs guarantees loans made by private sector lenders. (A loan guarantee through HCFP means that, should the individual borrower default on the loan, HCFP will pay the private financier for the loan.) The individual works with the private lender and makes his or her payments to that lender.

Under the terms of the program, an individual or family may borrow up to 100% of the appraised value of the home, which eliminates the need for a down payment. Since a common barrier to owning a home for many low-income people is the lack of funds to make a down payment, the availability of the loan guarantees from HCFP makes the reality of owning a home available to a much larger percentage of Americans.

Mutual Self-Help Housing Program (Section 523)

The Mutual Self-Help Housing Program makes homes affordable by enabling future homeowners to work on homes themselves. With this investment in the home, or "sweat equity", each homeowner pays less for his or her home. Each qualified applicant is required to complete 65% of the work to build his or her own home.

Technical Assistance Grants and Site Loans are provided to nonprofit and local government organizations, which supervise groups of 5 to 12 enrollees in the Self-Help Program. Members of each group help work on each other's homes, moving in only when all the homes are completed.

Once accepted into the Self-Help Housing Program, each individual enrollee generally applies for a Single-Family Housing Direct Loan (Section 502).

Home Repair Loan and Grant Program (Section 504)

For very low income families who own homes in need of repair, the Home Repair Loan and Grant Program offers loans and grants for renovation. The Home Repair Program also provides funds to make a home accessible to someone with disabilities.

Money may be provided, for example, to repair a leaking roof; to replace a wood stove with central heating; to construct a front-door ramp for someone using a wheelchair; or to replace an outhouse and pump with running water, a bathroom, and a waste disposal system.

Being a community organizer is hard work - but it is so worthwhile! Whether you're just beginning or you've already graduated to nonprofit status, we have something for you.

If too little outdoor air enters a home, pollutants can sometimes accumulate to levels that can pose health and comfort problems. Likewise, one approach to lowering the concentrations of indoor air pollutants in your home is to increase the amount of outdoor air coming in.