Our Vision:  To be the recognized leader in Housing Education.

Our Mission:  To enable low and moderate income families to achieve their homeownership goals by providing education.

HCI's History

In March 1982, the Montgomery County Board of Realtors (MCAR) organized a non-profit, which was named Housing for the Handicapped, Inc.  For many years, it served as a method of providing a charitable community service outlet for MCAR’s member Realtors and affiliates. The purposes of the organization were:

a) to engage in fundraising activities and to seek grants to obtain funds to be used to promote and assist independent living of disabled persons.

b) to receive and administer funds for other charitable purposes as designated by the Board of Directors.

On December 28, 1989, the Montgomery Board of Realtors Housing for the Handicapped, Inc. was renamed MCAR Housing Charities, Inc. and in October 1991, was registered with the State of Maryland as a charitable organization.

On October 27, 1994, MCAR Housing Charities amended its name to become Housing Charities, Inc. (HCI) and began its independent operation from the Montgomery County Board of Realtors.

HCI is still dedicated to the same fundamental principals of community service and housing assistance to which its predecessor organization adhered. HCI has included in its goals the requirement to serve the housing needs of low and moderate income residents in Montgomery County.

In August 2003, HCI changed its name to Housing & Community Initiatives, Inc. (still called HCI), to reflect its expanded offering of homeownership and community programs, including a new post-settlement education course.

Since 1994, over 10,400 households have completed the first-time homebuyer course!

In 2004, HCI commenced its bilingual individualized housing counseling services comprised of several one-on-one sessions to assist county residents in preparing to become homebuyers, understand their credit, or prevent foreclosure/default.

In 2005, HCI has served over 1,600 households with first-time homebuyer education and completed over 100 housing counseling sessions!

In 2006, HCI launched a program to teach financial literacy through its Financial Fitness Seminars.

In 2007, HCI began teaching MPDU Orientation Seminars for the Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs.  The seminars are a prerequisite to participate in the county's MPDU (Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit) program.