News Release

June 25, 2009

Contact: Hillary Rowe, 404-295-8098, hrowe@nw.org
Erin Angell Collins, 202 220-631,eangell@nw.org

NeighborWorks® America, Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida Join HOPE NOW, NBA All-Stars Alonzo Mourning and Dwyane Wade, and Fernando Arau at the ‘Bringing Hope Home’ Campaign and Bus Tour in Miami
Campaign Promotes Foreclosure Prevention and Raises Awareness of Resources Available to
Homeowners in Distress

Washington D.C.—Today NeighborWorks America and Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida (NHSSF) joined the HOPE NOW alliance for ‘Bringing Hope Home’ foreclosure prevention campaign featuring NBA All-Stars Alonzo Mourning and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat and Latino television host Fernando Arau.  Mourning, Wade and Arau will meet with NHSSF’s counselors and clients and visit local businesses in the Miami Gardens neighborhood. The goal of the foreclosure prevention campaign is to raise awareness of the foreclosure crisis and the free resources available to homeowners in danger of foreclosure, including the government’s Making Home Affordable Program.

The tour kicks off at NHSSF, a local NeighborWorks organization in Miami that provides foreclosure counseling and homeownership education, as well as affordable new homes to first time homebuyers.  

NeighborWorks America Deputy Director for Homeownership and Lending Marietta Rodriguez recognizes that there are many families in financial distress and finding a reputable, reliable resource can be a challenge. “We want to make finding help easier, and for homeowners at risk of foreclosure to know they can turn to skilled nonprofit foreclosure counselors, whether face-to-face or over the phone, to help them understand their options and identify steps they can take to help save their home,” said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez, Mourning, Wade, Arau and representatives from partners Fannie Mae, the Homeownership Preservation Foundation, and Hope Now Alliance will have an informal round table discussion with NHSSF’s Executive Director Arden Shank, counselors and clients.

NeighborWorks America helps homeowners across the nation avoid foreclosure through its network of nonprofit housing organizations – including NHSFF --  that offer homeownership and foreclosure intervention counseling; public education campaign promoting the Homeownership Preservation Foundation’s Homeowner’s HOPE Hotline (1-888-995-HOPE); and participation in the HOPE NOW alliance. In addition, NeighborWorks America is the administrator of the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling program, to date awarding $307.5 million in grants to state housing finance agencies, HUD-approved counseling intermediaries, and local nonprofit counseling agencies for counseling, and $25.1 million in grants to state housing finance agencies, intermediaries, and local nonprofit counseling organizations to provide legal assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure. 

In April, NeighborWorks announced that it was appropriated $6 million to develop a public education campaign to increase consumer awareness about the dangers of foreclosure rescue scams. 

“The current financial crisis has created fertile ground for scam artists who want to take advantage of distressed homeowners.  Homeowners facing financial difficulty need to know who they can trust to receive much-needed financial guidance.  Nonprofit counseling agencies, like NHSSF and others in the NeighborWorks network, as well as those who have received NFMC funding, are a homeowner’s best defense against foreclosure,” said Rodriguez.

**To find a nonprofit HUD-approved counseling agency near you, visit www.findaforeclosurecounselor.org.  For tips on how to avoid foreclosure rescue scams, visit www.nw.org.  Tips are available in English, Spanish, Chinese and Korean.**

For more information about NeighborWorks’ foreclosure prevention efforts, please visit www.nw.org.

To contact NHSSF, visit www.mdnhs.org

About Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida
Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida builds empowered communities, revitalizes neighborhoods and creates affordable housing opportunities in South Florida. In order to accomplish our mission, we are dedicated to the following outcomes: residents who are educated homebuyers and homeowners; residents who have adequate financial opportunities for buying and maintaining their homes; housing that is safe, decent, and financially affordable; and, revitalized neighborhoods where residents choose to invest time, money, and energy.

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. In the last five years, NeighborWorks organizations have generated more than $19.5 billion in reinvestment in these communities. NeighborWorks America is the nation’s leading trainer of community development and affordable housing professionals.