FHLBank Chicago and WHEDA Recognize Housing Counseling Grants Supporting Milwaukee-Area Homebuyers

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 20, 2026--

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago (FHLBank Chicago) joined the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) today in Milwaukee to recognize three of the 14 Wisconsin organizations receiving grants through the Community First® Housing Counseling Resource Program (HCRP): Acts Housing, Housing Resources Inc. and United Community Center.

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The grants, funded by FHLBank Chicago and administered by WHEDA in Wisconsin, expand access to housing counseling services that prepare individuals and families for successful, sustainable homeownership and support FHLBank Chicago members with a pipeline of mortgage-ready applicants.

The HCRP strengthens the capacity of HUD-certified housing counseling agencies across Illinois and Wisconsin. FHLBank Chicago funds the program through partnerships with WHEDA in Wisconsin and the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) in Illinois, helping agencies provide financial education, credit preparation, homebuyer education and individualized guidance for prospective and current homeowners.

"Successful homeownership requires more than overcoming affordability barriers. It also requires preparation, trusted guidance and local organizations that can meet families where they are," said Katie Naftzger, SVP and Community Investment Officer at FHLBank Chicago. "Through HCRP and our partnerships with WHEDA and IHDA, we are proud to support agencies like Acts Housing, Housing Resources Inc. and United Community Center as they help more Wisconsin families take informed, confident steps toward homeownership."

Since its launch in 2022, through year-end 2025, the HCRP has awarded $13 million to strengthen housing counseling across Illinois and Wisconsin. Supported agencies provided services to more than 105,000 households, with nearly 9,000 achieving homeownership. In 2025, the program supported 44 HUD-certified housing counseling agencies across the two states.

"WHEDA brings deep expertise and relationships across Wisconsin, while housing counseling agencies provide trusted and personal guidance directly in the communities they serve," said Elmer Moore Jr., CEO and Executive Director of WHEDA. "These grants strengthen that network and help more Wisconsin families confidently navigate the path to successful homeownership."

Acts Housing, Housing Resources Inc. and United Community Center will use the funding to strengthen housing counseling services for individuals and families in the Milwaukee area.

"This funding strengthens our ability to provide individualized guidance that helps people prepare financially and navigate the homebuying process," said T.J. Cobb, VP Programs at Acts Housing. "That preparation can make a meaningful difference as families work toward successful homeownership."

The impact of housing counseling is reflected in homebuyers like Sandra Smith, who received counseling through Acts Housing while preparing to purchase a home. Sandra also received a $10,000 Downpayment Plus ® (DPP ® ) grant from FHLBank Chicago through member Great Midwest Bank in Brookfield, Wisconsin, to help with down payment and closing costs.

"Housing counseling helped me understand the process, prepare financially and feel confident about the decisions I was making," said Sandra. "Having that support made homeownership feel achievable."

The HCRP is part of FHLBank Chicago's broader approach to expanding homeownership opportunities through its member-owned cooperative model. By strengthening housing counseling agencies and connecting prospective homebuyers with trusted guidance earlier in the process, the program helps create a stronger path from financial preparation to mortgage financing. Programs like DPP provide additional support along that path, helping eligible homebuyers with down payment and closing costs.

About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago

FHLBank Chicago is a regional bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System. FHLBanks are government-sponsored enterprises created by Congress to ensure access to low-cost funding for their member financial institutions, with a focus on providing solutions that support the housing and community development needs of members’ customers. FHLBank Chicago is a self-capitalizing cooperative, owned by its Illinois and Wisconsin members, including commercial banks, credit unions, insurance companies, savings institutions and community development financial institutions. To learn more about FHLBank Chicago, please visit fhlbc.com.

Community First, Downpayment Plus and DPP are registered trademarks of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago.

Representatives from FHLBank Chicago, WHEDA, Acts Housing, Housing Resources Inc. and United Community Center gather in Milwaukee for a check presentation recognizing grant funding through FHLBank Chicago’s Community First® Housing Counseling Resource Program.

HONOLULU (AP) — Communities still recovering from last weekend’s hurricane in Hawaii could get pounded again in coming days from another tropical system gaining strength over warm Pacific waters.

Hurricane Lala tore roofs off houses, uprooted trees, covered roads in mud and rock and left many households without electricity. With thousands of homes and businesses still in the dark Thursday, forecasters warned another tropical cyclone is likely to form southeast of the islands shortly.

A depression moving west and northwest could become a tropical storm later Thursday and pass near or south of Hawaii's Big Island during the weekend, according to the U.S Central Pacific Hurricane Center. That system could dump up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain across the Big Island and trigger life-threatening flooding, mudslides and rip currents, the hurricane center added.

Forecasters said the disturbance was located about 960 miles (1,545 kilometers) east-southeast of Hilo, Hawaii. But while it is expected to continue strengthening into the weekend, it was still too soon to forecast the exact path and the magnitude of the impacts.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green and other state officials planned a news conference Thursday afternoon to discuss the approaching tropical system as well as the ongoing recovery efforts from Lala, which has been blamed for two deaths in the state.

Residents found the body of a man in his 60s in a pasture Tuesday, a day after authorities recovered the body of May Doi, 93, whom neighbors said was trying to escape from floodwaters in her home. Doi was a beloved former kindergarten teacher who taught generations of residents in a small town on Hawaii’s Big Island.

“She taught grandkids of her students,” said ʻĀina Akamu, a former student of Doi’s who is now a vice principal at a local school. “She was a fixture in this community.''

Lala's heaviest recorded rainfall, 43.54 inches (1.1 meters), occurred on the northeast coast of the Big Island, the National Weather Service said. Dozens of homes were washed from foundations, bridges were damaged and about 13,200 customers on the Big Island remained without power Thursday.

Efforts to restore power in the hard-hit areas of the Big Island could take at least two weeks, the Hawaiian Electric utility said.

Lala is the first major hurricane of 2026 in the Central Pacific Ocean. Now well west of Hawaii’s main islands, Lala had top sustained winds of 100 mph (155 kph) on Thursday and was spreading hurricane conditions across parts of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument — a remote area at the northwestern edge of the Hawaiian Archipelago. The first impacts were being felt between Lisianski Island and Maro Reef, authorities said.

Forecasters said Lala would continue to cross waters of the marine national monument for a few days and remain at hurricane strength through the weekend.

Even in that vast and remote area, people were seeking safety. A charter boat carrying a 16-person crew dedicated to removing marine plastics and abandoned fishing nets from the shores of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands got out of Lala’s projected path this week.

Kevin O’Brien, president of the nonprofit Papahanaumokuakea Marine Debris Project, said the vessel left Lisianski Island on Monday and headed 350 miles (565 kilometers) out to sea.

“We were ready for it,” O’Brien said. “We keep on our toes out here during hurricane season.”

Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press writer John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia, contributed to this report.

This satellite image provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Lala on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean northeast of Hawaii. (NOAA via AP)