Community Organization of Southern Brooklyn in Brooklyn, NY

Community Organization of Southern Brooklyn operates the HOME Program, established in 2011 as a collaborative effort between three local housing agencies (SBCO, COSB, and OPCDC). The organization was created to strengthen Southern Brooklyn communities and reverse urban decay by pooling resources and expertise to maximize housing assistance availability. Their cooperative model allows them to share overhead costs and connections while maintaining focus on individual client needs.

The organization provides comprehensive housing services across the entire renter-to-owner spectrum. For renters, they facilitate access to government rent subsidy programs (SCRIE, DRIE) and tenant-landlord mediation. For prospective homebuyers, they offer homebuyers education and mortgage counseling to guide clients through qualification and purchase processes. For current homeowners, they provide mortgage counseling, foreclosure prevention, loan modification assistance, and financial literacy education. Additional services include real estate tax reduction guidance, home energy savings grants, and senior-specific assistance programs.

What distinguishes COSB is their explicit commitment to linguistic and cultural accessibility. They operate with multilingual staff providing services in English, French, Hebrew, Hungarian, and Yiddish, directly addressing Brooklyn's diverse population. All services are completely free of charge with guaranteed confidentiality. Their track record shows concrete impact: 900+ homeowners helped, 260+ mortgages closed, 80+ foreclosures prevented, and 300+ families counseled. The collaborative model between three agencies creates institutional resilience and broader resource access than single-agency providers.

The organization is well-suited for low-to-moderate income Brooklyn residents facing specific housing challenges, whether rental affordability, homebuying barriers, or foreclosure risk. However, their geographic focus on Southern Brooklyn may limit accessibility for other city residents, and as a counseling organization, they facilitate access to programs rather than directly providing financial products. Their effectiveness depends on clients' eligibility for government assistance programs, which varies significantly by situation.