Join Manna’s Housing Counseling Program

Manna’s Home Ownership Center (HOC) provides free or low-cost, high-quality homebuyer education with peer support and personalized homeownership counseling. Through this program, people seeking to be homeowners will receive financial guidance, application assistance for down payment assistance programs, learn about homeownership association (HOA) elections, and other helpful information.

    • Guidance on how to budget, save, and improve your credit

    • One-on-one counseling sessions that provides support as clients prepare for a mortgage

    • HUD-required 8-hour Homebuyer Education Certification for prospective homebuyers

    • Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) orientations for DC

    • Application assistance for down payment assistance programs such as HPAP, EAHP, NEAHP, and Open DoorsDescription text goes here

  • If you’re looking to purchase a home in the near future, our Pre-Purchase Counseling Program is right for you. Whether you’re seeking guidance on improving your credit score for pre-approval, or you’re ready to apply to down payment assistance programs, our counselors are here to support you in your journey to homeownership.

    Manna’s housing counseling programs are open to everyone — regardless of gender, race, background, or income.Our goal is to ensure that all individuals and families have access to the knowledge, support, and guidance needed to navigate the path to homeownership with confidence. Housing counseling services are offered free or at low cost based on income, with eligibility determined during the intake application process.Description text goes here

  • The Housing Counseling Program is tailored to your needs. Together, you and your counselor will determine your preferred frequency for meeting and form of communication.

    On average, you may meet with your counselor once a month but, you can access their support via email if requiring a more immediate response.

  • Whether you are interested in participating in housing counseling, post-purchase counseling, financial coaching services or looking for assistance to apply to a specific program such as HPAP, EAHP, NEAHP. The first step is always the same:

    • Register for the next available Introduction to Homeownership session. (Go to the calendar via the link, and search for the next available session that works for you.)

    • Once completed, you’ll receive an email with instructions on next steps like being assigned to a HUD-certified Housing Counselor.

  • Now that you’ve completed the Introduction to Homeownership session, you'll receive an email from yvette@mannadc.org with step-by-step guidance on how to connect with your assigned counselor. 

    Clients are typically instructed to coordinate their first meeting with their counselor via a Calendly link.Item description

“I never thought I could be a homeowner until I had Manna’s help.”

Kaylie White, a 42-year old mother of four born and raised in DC, joined the Pre-Purchase Counseling Program in 2023. By the start of 2025, she had purchased her first home.

Watch her story.