Key Takeaways
- • CHES, Inc., a HUD-certified nonprofit housing counselor and licensed consumer lender, launched a new office in Kansas City, Kansas, beginning August 2026, in partnership with El Centro, Inc., a 50-year-old Latino community organization.
- • The new office will operate from El Centro's Richard A. Ruiz Administrative and Services Building and be staffed with a bilingual counselor offering services in English and Spanish.
- • CHES will provide homeownership counseling, credit building, down payment assistance guidance, financial coaching, and co-hosted educational programs designed to help families prepare for homeownership and strengthen financial stability.
- • The expansion represents CHES's strategy to embed services within trusted community organizations; the nonprofit has operated for 16 years across the Kansas City metro area.
Summary
Credit & Homeownership Empowerment Services, Inc. (CHES, Inc.) formalized its expansion into Kansas City, Kansas, through a partnership with El Centro, Inc., a long-established nonprofit serving the Latino community for five decades. Beginning in August 2026, CHES established a new office within El Centro's Richard A. Ruiz Administrative and Services Building, staffed with a bilingual counselor to deliver housing and financial services directly to the community.
The partnership creates a co-located service model designed to increase access and reduce barriers to financial counseling. CHES will offer a suite of services including HUD-certified homeownership counseling, credit-building programs, down payment assistance guidance, and financial coaching delivered bilingually. The two organizations plan to collaborate on educational initiatives that support families in building credit, preparing for homeownership, and advancing long-term financial security.
According to Coley Williams, President and CEO of CHES, the Kansas City office expansion reflects the organization's 16-year mission to make homeownership and financial stability attainable for families across the metro region. El Centro's leadership, represented by President and CEO Erica Andrade, emphasized the value of deepening the partnership to extend CHES's HUD-certified counseling services to El Centro's existing client base and community network.
The partnership creates a co-located service model designed to increase access and reduce barriers to financial counseling. CHES will offer a suite of services including HUD-certified homeownership counseling, credit-building programs, down payment assistance guidance, and financial coaching delivered bilingually. The two organizations plan to collaborate on educational initiatives that support families in building credit, preparing for homeownership, and advancing long-term financial security.
According to Coley Williams, President and CEO of CHES, the Kansas City office expansion reflects the organization's 16-year mission to make homeownership and financial stability attainable for families across the metro region. El Centro's leadership, represented by President and CEO Erica Andrade, emphasized the value of deepening the partnership to extend CHES's HUD-certified counseling services to El Centro's existing client base and community network.
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