National Housing Ministries in Clearwater, FL

Pros

• They are the true dream team dedicated to making home-buying dreams come true.
• They are among the city of Tampa’s D.A.R.E. Program approved nonprofits and are the most organized and professional.
• The Tampa Bay Neighborhood Housing Services team is helpful throughout the buyer education process, and clients would definitely recommend their services and expertise.
• Todd Leclair is an amazing counselor who explains steps clearly, remains available for questions, and offers guidance to improve buying affordability before purchase.
• Cheryl Hudson and Todd Leclair are wonderful and provide excellent help and outstanding customer service.
• Angel Santiago and the Tampa Bay Neighborhood Housing Service team keep everything moving forward daily and provide attentive support.
• The staff are genuinely motivated, sincere, personal, and professional, helping alleviate stress during the homeownership journey.
• The organization provides essential guidance for first-time buyers and makes homeownership accessible.
• The service is supportive from the first phone call to signing, with questions answered and confidence built.
• Bella delivers outstanding presentations on the first-time homebuyer program and helps clients understand their options.
• Todd Leclair’s guidance and encouragement help buyers navigate the journey with confidence.
• The organization and its team are changing lives and delivering positive impacts in the community.

Cons

• The organization took over four years to respond to the reviewer and failed to help find affordable housing, leading to homelessness.
• The organization provided very poor customer service and allegedly scammed the reviewer out of money, with Cheryl Hudson not taking the time to answer calls or provide straightforward information.
• Bella did not follow through on anything she said she would.
• The closing process has many unknowns and there are so many costs charged to the buyer that are hard to understand.

Review

This Clearwater operation is best suited for first‑time buyers and seniors on fixed incomes who need a clear, counselor‑driven path to homeownership and real financial assistance to close the deal. The program’s backbone is education and hands‑on support, with down payment assistance and closing‑cost help tied to the City of Clearwater’s housing initiatives. Reviewers consistently highlight the staff as the standout asset: counselors who stay with clients through every milestone, a well‑organized team culture, and education that translates into practical buy‑your‑home momentum. The core trio, Cheryl Hudson, Todd Leclair, and Angel Santiago, are repeatedly described as professional, reliable, and genuinely invested in turning hopeful buyers into homeowners. For families navigating affordability barriers, the combination of education, mentorship, and tangible financial help makes this option worth serious consideration.

Those who may want to consider alternatives are primarily those who require rapid, uniformly dependable responsiveness or who move with urgency. A subset of reviewers report uneven customer service, with calls not returned promptly or follow‑through falling short of expectations. One unhappy experience even cites a four‑year delay in a response, leaving a sense of missed opportunity and, in a worst‑case scenario, housing instability. While many accounts celebrate the program’s effective guidance, others flag inconsistent accountability and communication gaps, including instances where staff or vendors did not deliver on promised actions. For buyers who prize predictability, or for families facing tight timelines, these inconsistencies can be decisive and justify exploring other options or insisting on written timelines and escalation paths up front.

The strongest pros, comprehensive buyer education, accessible counseling, and meaningful financial help, tend to offset most of the major drawbacks when the experience lines up with expectations. The education sessions and one‑on‑one counseling are repeatedly praised for demystifying the purchase process, explaining steps clearly, and answering questions with patience. Counselors are described as approachable, available for ongoing inquiries, and effective at translating complex terms into workable actions. The program’s ability to pave a path to down payment assistance and closing‑cost funding is a tangible, life‑changing benefit for many buyers who otherwise fear they cannot qualify. When these advantages click, the path to ownership becomes less daunting and more realistically navigable.

In practice, the service delivery is a mix of robust, person‑to‑person support and the logistical complexity that accompanies working through multiple agencies. The team’s strengths show up in the long, detailed guidance, the classroom and coaching environments, and the sense that buyers have allies who help maintain momentum toward closing. Positive testimonials emphasize the reliability and warmth of the core staff, along with concrete milestones reached, closings completed, approvals secured, and timely education delivered. Yet the experience can feel less seamless when communication falters or when buyers confront the fragmented nature of title work, transaction coordination, and vendor charges that can blur who is responsible for what. Prospective buyers should expect clarity on roles and a clearly defined, written process to keep everyone aligned.

For decision makers, the practical questions are clear. Is there a dedicated counselor assigned to each buyer, with documented timelines and progress updates? Are eligibility requirements for the down payment assistance and closing costs outlined in writing, with anticipated funds disbursed on a predictable schedule? How transparent are the closing costs, including any third‑party fees, and who is responsible for negotiating those charges? Buyers should verify the stability and responsiveness of the team, especially if past experiences involve delays or unanswered inquiries. It also pays to ask how the organization protects buyers from miscommunications among the various partners and how it handles complaints or escalations. The program is most compelling when it demonstrably reduces stress and accelerates closings without sacrificing transparency or accountability.

The bottom line is practical and conditional. For households that value thorough education, ongoing counselor access, and meaningful down payment and closing‑cost support, especially for first‑time buyers and seniors seeking housing stability, the network can be transformative. The standout staff and the mission‑driven culture provide a trustworthy framework that often translates into real homeownership gains. However, the experience is not unilaterally flawless: inconsistent responsiveness, mixed signals in some interactions, and the inherent complexity of coordinating multiple entities can erode confidence for those who demand a uniformly smooth process. In such cases, it is prudent to go in with clear expectations, a written timeline, and a plan to push for accountability from the outset, or to compare with other housing counseling options that emphasize streamlined communication and tighter vendor oversight. Overall, for buyers who can leverage the education and financial assistance while safeguarding against service gaps, this Clearwater program stands out as a practical, potentially life‑changing path to homeownership.

Physicians

• Florida Department of Health, Pinellas County Health Department, Clearwater Center (1.2 miles)
• Academic Alliance in Dermatology (1.3 miles)
• Clearwater Pediatric Care (2.4 miles)
• Dunedin Pediatrics (2.9 miles)
• Bay Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery (3.2 miles)
• Virginia Street Dermatology (3.3 miles)
• The Heart Institute at Largo (3.6 miles)

Restaurants

• Cristino's Coal Oven Pizza (1.5 miles)
• Island Way Grill (2.5 miles)
• Windward Bar & Grille (2.6 miles)
• Hammerstein Brewing Company (2.7 miles)
• Chick-Fil-A (2.8 miles)
• Frenchys Saltwater Caf (3.1 miles)
• Clear Sky Cafe (3.2 miles)

Hospitals

• Morton Plant Hospital (1.7 miles)
• Morgan Heart Hospital (1.7 miles)
• Mease Countryside Hospital (6.7 miles)
• Mease Countryside Hospital-Medical Arts Building (6.8 miles)

Pharmacies

• CVS Pharmacy (1.8 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2 miles)
• Walgreens (2.4 miles)
• Walgreens (3.1 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.2 miles)
• Winn-Dixie (3.3 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.8 miles)

Parks

• Eagle Lake Park (2.3 miles)
• McMullen Booth Tennis Center Clearwater FL (2.6 miles)
• Sand Key Park (3.1 miles)
• Dog Run (3.4 miles)
• Kapok Park (4.1 miles)
• Largo Central Park (4.3 miles)
• Stirling Park (5.4 miles)

Cafes

• Belleair Coffee Company (4 miles)
• Starbucks (4 miles)
• Starbucks (4.4 miles)

Theaters

• Regal Largo Mall (4.9 miles)
• AMC Woodlands Square 20 (7.7 miles)

Transportation

• St Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) (6.6 miles)