Counseling the Counselors continued on page 24 number and ask to speak with an interpreter, they can speak to someone in over 250 languages. RM: How does the Office of Housing Counseling develop its training and continuing education to address the specifics of reverse mortgages? DB: As a lifelong learner, I am a big believer in professional continuing education. Of course, it is a significant achievement to become a HUD-certified counselor. Then, to become a HECM counselor is an even more advanced exam. When we talk about training in the reverse mortgage space, seniors have unique needs and unique interests. When they’re considering a reverse mortgage, we want to be sure that our counselors are empathetic. We want to be sure that their discussions are really responsive to the questions. Most importantly, we want to be sure that these counselors are informed of all of their options, benefits, resources and the safety nets that may be available for seniors as they age in place. Counselors receive questions about many different issues. It’s not just housing. Often, it’s issues such as nutrition or health support. We provide training to ensure that professional counselors are really well trained and best in class to deliver these services. RM: How are you able to leverage funding toward the goals of diversity and inclusion in the housing counseling workforce? DB: Counselors are extremely diverse. They reflect all backgrounds and ages and the diverse tapestry of the communities that HUD serves. Our office is focused on bringing in a new generation of professional HUD-certified housing counselors, and that includes those who are HECM-certified. In fact, we have funded HUD counseling intermediaries to train, certify and recruit counselors in concert with historically Black colleges and universities. We have also started training that serves tribal colleges and universities and other minority serving institutions, such as Latinx and other groups. We’re very excited because we have our first class of counselors going through these programs. That leads to greater diversity. We will also be working collaboratively with our industry partners to develop more robust housing counseling best practices and standards over the next two years, and we look forward to engaging with NRMLA and other stakeholders on issues to ensure the effective and empathetic delivery of reverse mortgage counseling services in diverse markets. 888.369.1573 | HTLWHOLESALE.COM HighTechLending, Inc. All Rights Reserved. NMLS #7147 (nmlsconsumeraccess.org). For more information on licensing please visit www.hightechlending.com/compliance-information REVERSE MORTGAGE / MAY–JUNE 2023 23
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