The Baker Administration today announced $1.3 million in grants to fund first-time homeownership counseling programs and foreclosure prevention education centers throughout Massachusetts. A total of 19 awards were made to 11 foreclosure prevention regional centers and eight consumer counseling organizations. The Division of Banks administers funding of these grants with administrative fees associated with the licensing of mortgage loan originators.

Throughout calendar year 2015, the awardee organizations served more than 5,200 Massachusetts consumers and homeowners, many of whom reside in Gateway communities. According to data compiled by the Division of Banks, more than half of the consumers who received counseling at foreclosure prevention and education centers did so because of loss or reduction in income. Medical issues accounted for 17 percent of mortgage delinquencies, and poor budget management was cited by 8 percent.

“Ensuring that vital education and counseling services are available for consumers who are either contemplating the biggest purchase of their lives or who are in danger of foreclosure is critical to maintaining a healthy marketplace for lending and borrowing,” Consumer Affairs Undersecretary John Chapman said in a statement. “The lending environment is more tightly regulated now than prior to the foreclosure crisis of the last decade, and consumers should know that they have additional rights when purchasing a home or facing foreclosure.”

Since the inception of the grant program in 2008, over 30,000 consumers have been assisted with more than $8 million in funding.