NOTE: If you have an impairment, disability, language barrier, or otherwise require an alternative means of completing this form or accessing information about housing counseling, please talk to your housing counselor about arranging alternative accommodations. GLCU Foundation for Financial Empowerment (GLCU) is committed to assuring the privacy of individuals and/ or families who have contacted us for assistance. We realize that the concerns you bring to us are highly personal in nature. We assure you that all personal information shared orally and/ or in writing will be managed within ethical and legal considerations. Additionally, we want you to understand how we use the personal information we collect about you. Please carefully review this notice as it describes our policy regarding the collection and disclosure of your nonpublic, personal information.
We may disclose the following personal information to financial service providers (such as companies providing home mortgages), Federal, State, and nonprofit partners for program review, monitoring, auditing, research, and/or oversight purposes, and/or any other pre-authorized individual and/or organization. The types of information we disclose are as follows:
We restrict access to your nonpublic personal information to GLCU employees who need to know that information in order to perform their housing counseling duties. We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with federal regulations to guard your nonpublic personal information; and we train our staff to safe-guard client information and prevent unauthorized access, disclosure, or use.
GLCU Foundation for Financial Empowerment (GLCU) is a comprehensive housing counseling agency approved by the U.S Department of Housing (HUD). We provide education and counseling in the areas of financial management, tenancy, pre-purchase homeownership, post-purchase homeownership, and foreclosure intervention. We serve all clients regardless of income, race, religion/creed, sex, national origin, age, family status, disability, sexual orientation/ gender identity. We administer our programs in conformity with local, state, and federal anti-discrimination laws, including the federal Fair Housing Act (42 USC 3600, et seq.) As a Housing Counseling Participant, please affirm your roles and responsibilities along with the following disclosures and initial, sign, and date the form on the following pages.
| Counselor Roles and Responsibilities | Client Roles and Responsibilities |
| Reviewing your housing goal and your finances, which include your income, debts, assets, and credit history. | Completing the steps assigned to you in your action plan. |
| Preparing an individualized action plan that lists the steps that you and your counselor will take to achieve your housing goal. | Providing accurate information about your income, debts, expenses, credit, and employment. |
| Preparing a houschold budget that will help you to assess debt, expenses, and savings. | Attending meetings, returning calls, providing requested paperwork in a timely manner. |
| Your counselor is not responsible for achieving your housing goal but will provide guidance and education in support of your goal. | Notifying your counselor when changing your housing goal. |
| Neither your counselor nor GLCU employees, agents, or officers may provide legal advice. | Attending educational workshop(s) (i.e. First Time Homebuyer Seminar) as recommended. |
| Retaining an attorney if seeking legal advice and/or representation in matters such as foreclosure or bankruptcy protection. |
Termination of Services: Failure to work cooperatively with your Housing Counselor or GLCU will result in discontinuation of services. This includes, but is not limited to, missing three consecutive appointments.
Agency Conduct: No GLCU employee, officer, manager, contractor, volunteer, or agent shall undertake any action that might result in, or create the appearance of, administering counseling operations for personal or private gain, provide preferential treatment for any person or organization, or engage in conduct that will compromise our agency's compliance with federal regulations and our commitment to serving the best interests of our clients.
GLCU certifies that all staff and counselors who provide housing and financial counseling shall have no conflict(s) of interest due to relationships with landlords, property management companies, servicers, lenders, or mortgage companies and/or other entities (including itself) that may stand to benefit from counseling outcomes.
Agency Relationships: GLCU has financial affiliations or professional affiliations with HUD, BALANCE, NeighborWorks America, the Illinois Housing Development Authority, the City of Chicago, Great Lakes Credit Union, CIBC, and Bank of America. As a housing counseling program participant, you are not obligated to use the products and services of our industry partners.
Alternative Services, Programs, and Products & Client Freedom of Choice: GLCU offers several workshops with industry partners including our First Time Homebuyer program. However, you are not obligated to participate in this or any other GLCU program and service while you are receiving housing counseling from our agency. You may consider seeking alternative services from entities including the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) for first-time homebuyer loan programs and hud.gov for housing counseling services. You are entitled to choose whatever real estate professionals, lenders, and lending products that best meet your needs.
Referrals and Community Resources: You may request and be provided referrals for county and regional services available to meet a variety of needs, including utilities assistance, emergency shelter, transitional housing, food banks, and legal aid assistance. This list may also identify alternative agencies that provide services, programs, or products identical to those offered by GLCU and its exclusive partners and affiliates.
You may direct GLCU to not disclose your nonpublic personal information to third parties (other than disclosures made to project partners and those permitted by law). However, if you choose to opt out, we will not be able to answer any questions from your creditors, which may limit GLCU's ability to provide services such as foreclosure prevention counseling. If you choose to opt-out, contact us at 224-252-2620. If you choose to release your information as stipulated in this Privacy Policy, sign under the "Release" clause. You may change your decision any time by contacting our agency.
Errors and Omissions and Disclaimer of Liability: I/we agree GLCU, it's employees, agents, and directors are not liable for any claims and causes of action arising from errors or omissions of such parties, or related to my participation in GLCU Housing Counseling; and I hereby release and waive all daims of action against GLCU and its affiliates. I have read this document, understand that I have given substantial rights by signing it, and have signed it freely and without inducement or assurance of any nature and intend it to be a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law. If any provision of this document is unenforceable, it shall be modified to the extent necessary to make the provision valid and binding, and the remainder of this document shall remain enforceable to the full extent allowed by law.
Quality Assurance: In order to assess client satisfaction and in compliance with grant funding requirements, GLCU, or one of its partners, may contact you during or after the completion of your housing counseling service. You may be requested to complete a survey asking you to evaluate your client experience. Your survey data may be confidentially shared with GLCU grantors such as HUD, NeighborWorks America, or the Illinois Housing Development Authority.
RELEASE: I hereby authorize GLCU to release nonpublic personal information it obtains about me to my creditors and any third parties necessary to provide me with the services I requested. I acknowledge that I have read and understand the above privacy practices and disclosures.
Privacy Policy: I/we acknowledge that I/we received a copy of GLCU's Privacy Policy as well as I/ we acknowledge that I/we received and agree to GLCU's Program Disclosures.
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