Albany County Rural Housing Alliance

What Albany County Rural Housing Alliance does

Albany County Rural Housing Alliance, Inc. (ACRHA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and HUD-Approved Housing Counseling Agency incorporated in 1982 and headquartered at 24 Martin Road, Voorheesville, New York. The organization delivers free or low-cost housing counseling and financial assistance to low- and moderate-income households, first-time homebuyers, homeowners facing foreclosure, and seniors or disabled individuals across rural Albany County and the surrounding Capital Region (Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Schenectady counties), while explicitly excluding the City of Albany. Its service portfolio spans foreclosure prevention counseling, prepurchase counseling, homebuyer education (delivered in-person every 6–8 weeks and online 24/7 via the eHome America platform), HOME Program and Federal Home Loan Bank of New York Homebuyer Dream Program down payment assistance grants of up to $30,000, an Emergency Home Repair and Revolving Loan Fund, financial coaching, credit-report services, and post-purchase homeownership education.

ACRHA operates without proprietary technology; the technology stack is a standard WordPress website plus the third-party eHome America learning platform and Zoom/phone-based counseling delivery. The business model is a hybrid of government grants, charitable donations, and nominal program fees: it receives public and private funding to administer housing programs, draws tax-deductible donations from a consortium of roughly 10 regional banks and credit unions (Bank of America, M&T, NBT, TD, Wells Fargo, Key, Bank of Greene County, Broadview FCU, Citizens, Trustco), and collects small transactional fees ($50 in-person and $99 online for homebuyer education, $150 for loan/grant applications, and credit-report passthrough charges of roughly $10–$47). A separate operating asset, Feura Bush Senior Apartments, is a managed 24-unit HUD-subsidized income-based rental property for residents 62+ or disabled.

ACRHA is governed by a Board of Directors (President Kevin Millington, Vice President Denise Zieske, Treasurer Jamie Casterlin, among others) under Executive Director Tracy Gibeau, with a small operational staff of approximately five FTEs plus a site manager. The go-to-market motion is community- and referral-led, relying on HUD, HomeSave, local lenders, and community organization referrals rather than paid acquisition, and is complemented by a Facebook presence and the acrha.org website for top-of-funnel engagement.

Name

Albany County Rural Housing Alliance

Legal name

Albany County Rural Housing Alliance, Inc.

Website

https://acrha.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Albany County Rural Housing Alliance is a 501(c)(3) HUD-certified housing counseling agency serving low- and moderate-income households in rural Albany County and surrounding New York Capital Region counties with foreclosure prevention, prepurchase counseling, homebuyer education, down payment assistance grants, home repair loans, and managed senior housing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Housing Counseling Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Administration of Housing Programs (925110), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public & Affordable Housing Programs (Subsidies, Vouchers, Public Housing) (BPAIANAA), Affordable/Subsidized Independent Living (HUD/LIHTC) Communities (HLADAAAB), Down Payment Assistance (DPA) & Homebuyer Subsidy Programs (FSALAKAE)

Keywords

• Housing counseling services
• Foreclosure prevention
• Down payment assistance
• Home repair grants
• Homebuyer education

Headquarters

HQ city

Voorheesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Funding: ACRHA receives public and private funding to administer housing programs including home repair grants, down payment assistance, and foreclosure prevention counseling services.
2. Program Service Fees: Minimal fees charged for homebuyer education classes ($50 in-person, $99 online), credit reports, and application processing. Many services are free, with fee waivers available for extremely low-income participants.
3. Tax-Deductible Donations: As a 501(c)(3) organization, ACRHA receives charitable donations from local banks and credit unions to support Emergency Home Repair and Revolving Loan Fund programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Albany County Rural Housing Alliance (ACRHA) is a HUD-certified housing counseling agency that provides free counseling, financial coaching, homebuyer education, and grant administration to low-to-moderate income households in rural Albany County. Its core services include foreclosure prevention counseling, pre-purchase counseling, home repair grants, down payment assistance, and management of HUD-subsidized senior housing.

Product overview

Albany County Rural Housing Alliance (ACRHA) operates as a HUD-certified housing counseling agency offering a coordinated suite of homeownership assistance programs. The portfolio centers on two core pillars: counseling services (foreclosure prevention, prepurchase, and financial coaching) paired with financial assistance programs (down payment grants, home repair grants, and revolving loans). Complementary offerings include homebuyer education delivered both in-person and via the eHome America online platform, credit reporting services, and Feura Bush Senior Apartments managed housing. These products function as interconnected pathways—one leads to another—with prepurchase counseling and education serving as prerequisites for down payment assistance eligibility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foreclosure Prevention Counseling

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• eHome AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership provides online homebuyer education platform available 24/7. ACRHA clients receive certificates upon completion, required for Homebuyer Dream Program eligibility. Coupon code SAVEME10 available for $10 off.
• HomeSaveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFair lending initiative helping homeowners prevent and solve problems with delinquent mortgages. ACRHA is listed as a participating agency partner.
• First National Bank of ScotiacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorParticipating lender in Homebuyer Dream Program. Clients referred by ACRHA can access HDP grants through this lender.
• Arrow Bank (formerly Saratoga National Bank & Glens Falls National Bank)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorParticipating lender in Homebuyer Dream Program for homes in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Schenectady counties.
• Sunmark FCUcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorParticipating lender in Homebuyer Dream Program serving Capital District area.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GreenPath Financial Wellness: National HUD-approved counseling agency providing foreclosure prevention, pre-purchase, and financial coaching. Comparable services to ACRHA's counseling and financial coaching offerings, though delivered primarily through national call-center and digital channels.
• New York State Rural Housing Coalition: Statewide coalition advocating for and supporting rural New York housing nonprofits, including HUD-certified counseling agencies. Comparable mission and rural focus; ACRHA is a likely member/peer organization.
• HomeFree-USA: National HUD-approved housing counseling agency offering foreclosure prevention, pre-purchase, and financial education counseling nationwide. Comparable HUD-certified counseling model, though operating at much larger national scale with hybrid in-person/digital delivery.
• Rural Communities Assistance Corporation: National nonprofit providing training, technical assistance, and lending to rural community development organizations. Comparable rural-housing-counseling and capacity-building mission with national reach; ACRHA could be a member or peer beneficiary of RCAC programs.
• Habitat for Humanity of Northeastern New York: Local Habitat affiliate serving the Albany County region with affordable homeownership pathways including homebuyer education, counseling, and home repair. Direct geographic peer operating an overlapping rural housing mission in ACRHA's service area.

Broad incumbents

• NeighborWorks America: National network of more than 250 HUD-certified housing counseling and community development nonprofits. Directly comparable as a peer ecosystem to ACRHA's counseling, education, and affordable housing focus, though NeighborWorks operates as a much larger national umbrella.

Regional players

• RUPCO (Rural Ulster Preservation Company): Rural New York-based nonprofit developer providing homebuyer counseling, down payment assistance, and affordable rental housing. Comparable rural-housing model though operating further downstate, useful benchmark for ACRHA's potential expansion into adjacent counties.
• Community Housing Innovations: Regional New York-based nonprofit offering HUD-certified housing counseling, homebuyer education, foreclosure prevention, and affordable housing development. Comparable mix of counseling and property management, though operating primarily in the Hudson Valley rather than the Capital Region.
• Better Homes of Southeastern New York: Regional housing counseling and community development nonprofit in southeastern New York. Comparable housing counseling, financial education, and affordable housing program model serving a different but similar rural New York territory.
• Opportunities for Otsego: Community action agency serving Otsego County, NY with housing counseling, weatherization, and home repair assistance programs. Comparable rural upstate NY nonprofit housing services model operating in a different geographic territory.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/acrha.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/albany-county-rural-housing-alliance-inc.

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Albany County Rural Housing Alliance