NACA Overview
NACA is the largest non-profit HUD certified organization with over forty-five offices nationwide and a national counseling center. NACA has been in the forefront of fighting predatory lending starting in the 1980s and was the organization that coined the term “Predatory Lending”. NACA, through its counseling subsidiary, does about 30% of the total counseling in the country out of 1,800 HUD certified organizations. This comprehensive counseling and access to its Best in America mortgage, has established the standard for affordable homeownership for low-to-moderate income people.
As of early 2019, NACA has forty-five offices nationwide and is rapidly expanding nationwide. NACA has 2.7 million members and is one of the largest grassroots organizations in the country.
The NACA staff work extremely hard and are dedicated to our mission of affordable homeownership and fighting for economic justice. The staff has a seamless communication with our Members. This is because many NACA staff come from our membership.
In addition, the NACA staff is overwhelmingly minority at all levels. Many staff have been with NACA for a number of years, with many having built their careers at NACA for over ten years.
NACA has over 550 staff and continues to hire nationwide. NACA provides great career opportunities that pay well with a focus on advancement from within. NACA is currently hiring for a number of positions. These are well paid positions that require hard work and dedication. There is probably no organization where one can get as much job satisfaction.
NACA is hiring for the following positions: housing counselors, community organizers, rehab specialists, mortgage specialist, researchers, communications specialists, and department heads.
NACA has a tremendous track record of providing rewarding and successful careers to talented individuals including those with limited opportunities such as second-chance opportunities. NACA focuses on promoting successful staff to higher level and management positions.
To find and apply for a career at NACA, go here. Applicants go to www.naca.com and apply in our jobs section.
The NACA Agreement must be signed prior to the first counseling session. It is a very important agreement with authorizations that include pulling the credit report, releases, membership requirements including participation and more. Participants should read it carefully and have others review it.
Signing the agreement is a requirement for participation in NACA’s programs. Participants can sign the agreement electronically through their Member Portal.
NACA’s subsidiary called the Neighborhood Stabilization Corporation (“NSC”) is a HUD approved counseling intermediary. NSC is one of the 1,800 HUD counseling agencies. NSC does about 30% of the nation’s housing counseling.
HUD regularly reviews NACA’s counseling operations. As part of these reviews HUD has provided very positive evaluations of NACA’s counseling with no findings or issues. In many reviews they have stated the following with Chicago being an example: “NACA-NSC-Chicago is an integral part of the Chicago, Illinois community’ they provide vital education, support and services to a significant at risk minority, and low to moderate income population”. The report also states that “NACA-NSC-Chicago is a valuable member of the Chicago, Illinois community. NACA-NSC-Chicago maintains exceptionally well documented files and their record-keeping practices are exemplary.”
NACA is an integrated comprehensive non-profit corporation that provides affordable homeownership and advocates for economic justice for low-to-moderate income people and communities. NACA has the following departments:
- Housing Counseling – provides comprehensive housing counseling and NACA Qualification
- Mortgage Department – assists in the processing and underwriting of mortgage loans
- Real Estate – Advise and represents Members searching for a home
- Member Assistance Program (“MAP”) – works with NACA homeowners who are delinquent on their mortgage and need additional support. Coordinate NACA homeowners to participate in NACA’s outreach and advocacy.
- Home-Save – works with homeowners with an unaffordable mortgage
- HAND – assists with repairs and renovations of properties
- Advocacy – organizes NACA’s membership and other community residents in advocacy activities
In addition, NACA offers a help line for general member support and non-member inquiries.
NACA offers programs to both homebuyers and current homeowners:
- Purchase Program – NACA provides comprehensive housing counseling and access to an incredible mortgage. The NACA Mortgage offers everyone the same below-market fixed interest rate with no down-payment, no closing costs, fees, points, or PMI.
- Home-Save Program – NACA provides assistance to homeowners with an unaffordable mortgage. Through legally binding agreements with all the major lenders/servicers and investors. NACA is the most effective organization in modifying mortgages to achieve affordable solutions for the homeowners. Often homeowners have their interest rate reduced to 2% and eliminate a portion of the outstanding principal where necessary to achieve an affordable mortgage payment. .
NACA’s Purchase and Home-Save programs are recognized as the national standard in providing affordable homeownership for both homebuyers and homeowners with an unaffordable mortgage.
In addition to its homeownership programs, NACA continues to organize and advocate against predatory lending and fight for economic justice.
Members have access to all of NACA’s programs including the NACA Mortgage. There is a nominal Membership fee of $25 per household per year and after you close while you have the NACA Mortgage. This fee is not required for Home-Save Members and non-members. This fee allows NACA to involve its Members in advocacy and political activities. NACA has 3 million Members making NACA one of the largest grassroots organizations in the country.
The NACA Counselor will not be able to work a Member’s file if they have not paid the Membership dues for the current year and/or have not paid for the previous year. The Membership dues of $36 for the household is a nominal amount and should not be an issue for a Member wanting purchase a home through NACA’s Purchase Program and access the Best Mortgage in America.
Yes. Non-Members are limited to basic counseling and would not be able to access the NACA Mortgage or other services, and would also not be subject to the participation requirement.
Yes. A Member is required to participate in advocacy or other activities. The extraordinary benefits NACA Members can access today did not come about by politely asking. NACA’s success is a result of the active participation of its Members and others, including demonstrations and civil disobedience. NACA members stand on the shoulders of the civil rights community where people have fought and died to give us some of the opportunities we have today.
NACA requires all Members to participate in whatever way they feel comfortable. This can be participating in NACA’s aggressive advocacy campaigns, volunteering at an event, increasing participation in NACA’s programs, getting others to register to vote through NACA’s website, or other activities. Without continued participation of its membership, NACA would not be able to continue to provide the extraordinary homeownership programs and additional programs and services.
Yes. A Member if legally eligible must be a registered voter. It is crucial that our voices are heard by decision-makers, and the way to do that is through voting.
NACA verifies that its Members are on the voting rolls. Too many times people who have registered have been purged from the rolls. NACA makes it easy to register and assists its Members in the process, whether through online registration (available in 38 states) or by mail. All Members who are eligible voters must register prior to getting housing counseling.
NACA’s CEO Bruce Marks started the organization in 1985 when working for the Hotel Workers Union – Local 26 in Boston. NACA is the outgrowth of the union’s historic campaign to provide housing assistance to its members. This required changing the federal Taft Hartley Act which no local union had ever changed. Local 26 under the leadership of its president Domenic Bozzotto did the impossible with President George Bush signing into law in 1990 the change that allowed unions and management to negotiate and provide a housing benefit to its members. This benefit could not be effective without access to affordable homeownership which NACA fought for with its campaigns against predatory lending. Many battles have been won over more than 30 years but the war for economic justice continues.
The vast majority of NACA funds are from fees for the programs and services we provide. NACA receives funds from lenders and investors for closed loans and affordable modifications. NACA’s counseling subsidiary receives HUD counseling funds which covers a small portion of the counseling costs. NACA receives virtually no grant funds. This funding allows NACA the flexibility to provide unprecedented homeownership services and engage in aggressive advocacy without government or granters restrictions.
NACA is growing rapidly and continues to hire for many positions with great career opportunities. These primarily include:
- NACA Counselors – offices nationwide
- National Service Representatives – offices nationwide
- Real Estate Agents – offices nationwide
- Organizers – regions nationwide
- Mortgage Specialist and Closing Coordinators – Charlotte
- Rehab Specialists – San Antonio
- Researchers – Boston
- Communications & Social Media – Boston
NACA is unique in engaging in aggressive advocacy and state-of-the-art mortgage operations on a large scale. The standard model is for an organization to do either advocacy or operations, and usually at a local level.
NACA believes strongly against the thinking that by engaging in aggressive advocacy, the targets of an organization’s campaigns would never fund or support their operations. In fact, it does not make sense to have the financial predators who are the targets of advocacy campaigns to implement any solution. They will undermine whatever victories that are won.
NACA’s model is to engage in multi-year aggressive campaigns that personally target the decision maker(s). By defeating these targets NACA accesses their resources to provide the mortgage and funds to provide unprecedented homeownership opportunities for both homebuyers and homeowners who have been denied such opportunities.
The aggressive campaigns are almost always necessary, with one exception: Bank of America. Their CEO Hugh McCall has partnered with NACA to set the standard of providing affordable lending for working people and the bank has continued and expanded on the foundation he built.
NACA is making history, by for the first time, making affordable homeownership available on scale for working class people and especially African Americans and other minorities who have been historically locked out of the opportunity to own an affordable home and build generational wealth.
The vast majority of NACA Members are minority who have been prevented from affordable homeownership by lenders, real estate agents, sellers and the government. The NACA program has opened the floodgates for low- and moderate-income and minority individuals to make the dream of affordable homeownership a reality. The Achieve the Dream events have provided this homeownership opportunity on a massive scale.
Still Have Questions?
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425-602-6222HomeSave
801-401-6222Member Assistance Program (MAP)
281-968-6222 Contact NACAAsk The NACA Community
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