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OnTrack WNC’s Victor Moore Named 2011 Counselor of the Year

On Wednesday, November 2nd, OnTrack WNC’s Director of Counseling, Victor Moore, received the 2011 Housing Counselor of the Year Award at the Annual North Carolina Affordable Housing Conference. Phyllis Caldwell of The Association of Housing Counselors (TAHC) presented the award in front of 500 attendees from counseling agencies, financial institutions, state/federal agencies, and government officials. The Award recognizes “unsung heroes who make a difference in promoting affordable homeownership through housing counseling and education” according to Felicia Jordan in a letter from the Selection Committee.

(Victor Moore, center, with OnTrack WNC Financial Counseling Staff)

Victor Moore has 13 years of experience with OnTrack Financial Education & Counseling, helping thousands of clients develop budgets, track spending, get out of debt, and avoid foreclosure. Last year, over 6,600 people benefitted from OnTrack WNC’s counseling services.

“We were thrilled to learn that Victor was selected Counselor of the Year.  Victor has dedicated himself to our work and to his clients,” said OnTrack WNC’s Executive Director Celeste Collins. “The mortgage crisis caused demand for our services to explode. Our foreclosure prevention success rate is currently 94% of all resolved cases and Victor’s leadership and expertise are big reasons for our success.”

Victor’s staff of six financial/housing counselors had the idea to nominate Victor for this award. “Victor’s guiding principle from the beginning has been his concern for the client. According to Victor, we are here to make a difference,” said Grace Hines, OnTrack WNC counselor. 

Victor became Director of Counseling in 2010. When funding challenges forced OnTrack WNC to restructure earlier this year, Victor was a strong voice for ensuring high quality service, realistic expectations of staff, and positive outcomes for our clients. OnTrack WNC counselor Suzanne Ellison added, “When Victor took the position of Director of Counseling, he did so with the understanding that he would not give up the counseling portion of his job. He truly enjoys meeting with clients and helping them.”

Dana Stonestreet, President and COO of HomeTrust Bank provided a support letter for the nomination. He said, in part, “Victor’s years of experience and sharp analytic skills set him apart. Victor is accessible and responsive in helping people consider their options in a time of need.”

Partners in the community jumped in to support Victor’s nomination. Ruth Bridge, Executive Director of the United Way of Henderson County said, “Please add the staff of the United Way of Henderson County to the Victor Moore fan club.”

Henderson County Habitat for Humanity also provided strong support of Victor’s nomination.  With demand for houses consistently exceeding their capacity to build, family selection is as challenging as it is important. Habitat is most successful when families move into homes and are able to sustain/maintain the American dream of homeownership.  Victor worked with Habitat to develop application screening techniques to help objectively rate clients’ potential for success.  His involvement has been instrumental in Habitat’s ongoing success in Henderson County. Mary Vermillon, Chairman of the Family Selection Committee at Henderson County Habitat for Humanity, noted, “I am not certain how efficient and effective our [family selection] process would be without the selfless, consistent assistance of Victor Moore.”

Vicki Banks, Director of Compensation & Benefits at The Biltmore Company and OnTrack WNC Board President said, “We are one of the region’s largest employers and have seen the impact the recession has had on our employees. Professional, dedicated, knowledgeable financial/ housing counselors, like Victor, give our employees a place to turn to save their home from foreclosure, plan for purchasing homes, or become debt free.” 

United Way NFCC Council on Accreditation