Housing & Credit Counseling Inc. received federal certification Tuesday to provide counseling services that would meet requirements of new bankruptcy rules set to take effect Oct. 17.

The nonprofit service, which has an office in Lawrence, had been awaiting certification from the U.S. Trustee’s Office before embarking on its plans for meeting consumers’ needs through meetings and consultations, both in Lawrence and near the bankruptcy court itself in Topeka.

“The program is already in place,” said Karen Hiller, the service’s executive director.

For more information about providers certified for service in Kansas, click on www.usdoj.gov/ust and follow the link for “credit counseling and debtor education.”