INC NEWS - Durham Foreclosure Prevention Workshop July 19

[John Schelp]

City of Durham News Release (14 July 2008)
 
Durham Hosts Home Foreclosure Prevention Workshop July 19

Saturday’s Event Tailored to Help Families Facing Home Foreclosure; 

Residents Should R.S.V.P. By July 18

Durham residents facing foreclosure should mark their calendars now to attend Saturday’s workshop designed to help them save their homes.

In response to the national home foreclosure crisis that is hitting home in Durham, the City of Durham’s Departments of Neighborhood Improvement Services and Community Development, along with the Neighborhood Pride Alliance, are launching a series of workshops to encourage homeowners in financial trouble to seek assistance early.  

The first workshop will take place on Saturday, July 19, 2008, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the North Carolina Central University (NCCU) H.M. Michaux School of Education, located at 712 Cecil Street, Durham.  Participants may park in multiple locations, including the parking lots of the School of Education, NCCU Department of Criminal Justice, and the NCCU School of Law, as well as the side streets of Lincoln, Burlington, and Cecil Streets.  

Admittance is free and on-site child care will be provided to workshop participants, who will have direct access to housing counselors, lenders, developers, and investors.

U.S. Congressman David Price will attend Saturday’s event, along with Jennifer Epperson, policy advisor to Governor Mike Easley.  Other partners involved in Saturday’s workshop include representatives from the NCCU Department of Public Administration, SunTrust Mortgage, Durham Housing Authority, Durham Regional Association of REALTORS®, InterNeighborhood Council of Durham, Durham Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), Durham Regional Community Development Group, N.C. Realtors Association, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Self-Help Credit Union, Durham Affordable Housing Coalition, and RBC Bank.

To R.S.V.P. to attend Saturday’s event, residents should contact the City’s Department of Neighborhood Improvement Services at (919) 560-4570.  

About the Neighborhood Pride Alliance

Approximately one year ago, the City’s Department of Neighborhood Improvement Services formed a task force to address various community issues facing Durham.  As a result, the Targeted Neighborhood Revitalization Task Force was created to focus on three areas within Durham – North East Central Durham, South West Central Durham and the Southside/St. Theresa area.  The task force selected as its name “Neighborhood Pride Alliance.”  The Neighborhood Pride Alliance has three standing committees:  Preservation, Education, and Development, Resource and Investment.  Each one of these standing committees has chosen special projects to address in the Durham community.  The Education Committee has selected as its first project to address home foreclosure increases in Durham.  

About the Department of Neighborhood Improvement Services

The Department of Neighborhood Improvement Services is dedicated to improving the quality of life for Durham’s residents by increasing access to safe, livable housing and by improving the city’s physical environment.  For more information, visit the City’s Web site at www.durhamnc.gov/departments/nis.

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