News Release

January 23, 2009

Contact: Chris Harper-Fahey, 617-585-5031, cfahey@nw.org

NeighborWorks America Applauds NeighborWorks Alliance of Vermont
for their Role in State Supreme Court Decision on Foreclosures

BOSTON —Vermont homeowners in danger of foreclosure will now know who to call for free foreclosure prevention assistance thanks to a move by the Vermont State Supreme Court.  In an emergency amendment to the state Rules of Civil Procedure, which went into effect on January 1, 2009, Vermont homeowners entering into foreclosure will now receive a notice that contains contact information for nonprofit organizations – including five Vermont NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Centers – that offer free foreclosure prevention help. 

“The Vermont Supreme Court’s decision to notify homeowners about where they can go for foreclosure intervention acknowledges the important role of foreclosure intervention counseling agencies across New England and our nation,” said LaRayne Hebert, director of the NeighborWorks New England District Office.  “Through one-on-one counseling and homeownership education, NeighborWorks organizations have made, and will continue to make, sustainable homeownership possible, transforming communities and towns into healthy, vibrant communities all are proud to call home.”

The NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Centers, which make up the NeighborWorks® Alliance of Vermont, are part of the NeighborWorks network, a national group of nonprofit local community development organizations, which operate 99 certified NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Centers nationwide.  The five Vermont NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Centers included in the notice as go-to sources for foreclosure intervention counseling are:

• Central Vermont: Central Vermont Community Land Trust, 802-476-4493, www.cvclt.org
• Northwest Vermont: Champlain Housing Trust, 802-660-0642, www.getahome.org  
• Northeast Vermont: Gilman Housing Trust, 802-535-3554, www.myvthome.org
• Southwest: NeighborWorks of Western Vermont, 802-438-2303, www.nwwvt.org
• Southeast: Rockingham Area Community Land Trust, 802-885-1856, www.raclt.org

“Vermont’s superior court judges took a bold step with this emergency ruling to bring greater efficiency to Vermont’s legal foreclosure proceedings,” said Liz Curry, coordinator of the NeighborWorks Alliance of Vermont.  “Since Vermont’s NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Centers have worked for years to create a collaborative process that provides a seamless network of financial counseling services to all Vermonters, the Courts recognized that the NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Centers are the only network with a statewide footprint available to receive this designation.”

For more information about NeighborWorks America and what the NeighborWorks network is doing to help prevent foreclosure and to stabilize communities visit, www.nw.org/foreclosure and www.stablecommunities.org.  For more information about the NeighborWorks Alliance of Vermont, please contact Liz Curry at 802-527-2361 or lcurry@getahome.org.  For more information regarding the Vermont Supreme Court Foreclosure Notice requirement, please contact George Mathias at 802-535-3592 or georgem@nekhome.org.

About NeighborWorks Alliance of Vermont
The NeighborWorks Alliance of Vermont is comprised of five regional nonprofit housing organizations dedicated to expanding and preserving homeownership opportunities for all Vermont residents. Our neighborhoods and communities are stronger when Vermonters have the economic and social stability that homeownership brings. Our NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Centers offer the tools and resources to help families and individuals realize and preserve the American Dream of homeownership.  For more information, please visit www.vthomeownership.org.

About NeighborWorks America
NeighborWorks America creates opportunities for people to improve their lives and strengthen their communities by providing access to homeownership and to safe and affordable rental housing. Since 1991, we have assisted nearly 1.2 million low- to moderate-income families with their housing needs. Much of our success is achieved through our support of the NeighborWorks network ― more than 230 community development organizations working in more than 4,400 urban, suburban and rural communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In the last five years, NeighborWorks organizations have generated more than $15 billion in reinvestment in these communities. NeighborWorks America is the nation’s leading trainer of community development and affordable housing professionals.