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NeighborWorks® America Salutes National Homeownership Month
NeighborWorks America is conducting a series of consumer outreach efforts to support affordable, sustainable and healthy homes and neighborhoods during the 2009 National Homeownership Month.
Is Now A Good Time To Buy a First Home?
Considering that interest rates are relatively low, many properties are on the market and the government incentives to buy, many may be asking themselves if now is a good time to enter the market. In a recent podcast, we posed the question to NeighborWorks National Homeownership Programs Director Marietta Rodriguez and here's what she had to say.
Read the news release to find out the other activities we have planned for National Homeownership Month.
Visit NeighborWorks National Homeownership Month Web page for resources for homeowners.
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National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling Program Helps More than 400,000; More than 90 Percent of Those Counseled Still in Their Homes
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NeighborWorks America, the administrator of the Congressionally authorized National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling (NFMC) program, announced that through May 31, 2009 more than 405,000 homeowners have received foreclosure prevention counseling as a result of NFMC funding.
The report found that more than 90 percent of homeowners receiving counseling were still in their homes as of February 2009, although 18 percent of those families had a foreclosure process started. Six percent of families counseled had a foreclosure completed and another 3 percent had their mortgage paid off through a refinance, short-sale, or deed-in-lieu. Importantly, the report noted that lower-income homeowners are likely to have a greater rate of foreclosure starts than higher-income homeowners.
Press Release
Report Description [PDF, 56 KB]
Executive Summary [PDF 129 KB]
Full Report [PDF, 4.1 MB]
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| Community Strategies represent the shared experience of NeighborWorks America and its member organizations in various topics of community development and affordable housing. |
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| The
NeighborWorks Training
Institute is dedicated to providing the highest quality training
for community development practitioners. Learn about the latest
classes and symposia on leading-edge topics. |
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| National NeighborWorks Week Engages Thousands in Volunteer Community Service |
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Approximately 170 NeighborWorks organizations hosted 340 events nationwide during National NeighborWorks Week, which was held from June 6-13, 2009. NeighborWorks Plants!, this year’s thematic event, attracted 100 NeighborWorks organizations to beautify their neighborhoods with trees, flowers and shrubs. Read stories and view pictures and videos of the volunteers in action!
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| NeighborWorks Organization Celebrates Five Years of Success |
| On Monday, June 8, Rural Ulster Preservation Company (RUPCO), a NeighborWorks organization based in Kingston, N. Y., marked their fifth anniversary and a myriad of accomplishments. From co-founding a collaboration that has provided foreclosure prevention education to 1,300 New York residents to helping 33 homebuyers become first-time homeowners in 2008, RUPCO has much to celebrate. Watch the story featuring homeowners helped from MidHudsonNews.com, and learn more about this inspiring organization. Congratulations to RUPCO on five years of success! |
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| New NeighborWorks Organization Empowers Low-Income, Immigrant Farmworker Communities |
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NeighborWorks America recently welcomed Comité de Bien Estar into the network. The Arizona-based organization is a land development cooperative that works to empower Mexican-Americans and new immigrants to help them overcome the many barriers they face, including very low wages, little access to conventional financing and limited political representation.
“We found out that Comite is very good organization, with a good history, plans, vision and a healthy condition. That's what we are looking for in the organizations we serve,” said Nelson Merced, director of National Initiatives and Applied Research at NeighborWorks America. Merced had traveled to Arizona to welcome the organization into the NeighborWorks America fold, and to help celebrate the opening of Comite's Tierra del Cielo apartment complex that will provide homes for low-income farmworker families. Merced presented Comite with a $54,000 check from NeighborWorks America, its first annual grant as a network organization. Read more about the welcoming event.
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| NeighborWorks Organization Wins National Award for Affordable Senior Community |
The Meadows, an affordable senior housing community that opened last year and is now home to nearly 100 seniors, was honored as a winner in the 15th Annual Charles L. Edson Tax Credit Excellence Award competition. The Meadows was selected among entries from 19 states and was honored at a Capital Hill luncheon in Washington, D.C. in June. Presented to the nation’s most outstanding Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) properties, the national awards program celebrates the best in affordable rental home development.
The Meadows was developed by NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley (NWBRV), in partnership with NeighborWorks America, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, the National Equity Fund, and several local and state housing agencies. Read more. |
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| Network Project Wins Green Building Award |
| From more than 2,500 nominated projects, New Hampshire-based CATCH Neighborhood Housing's Friedman Court has been selected as a Green Building of America Award winner and will be featured in the upcoming special Real Estate & Construction Review-Northeast Green Success Stories edition. Each Green Building of America Success Story project is highlighted in a case study that intertwines the words of the project's owner/developer, consultants, architects and contractors to explain how the teams worked together to design and build one of the region's most important, innovative or unique new or renovated sustainable facilities. Learn more about CATCH. |
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| HUD Offers $58 Million for Housing Counseling |
| HUD has announced that more than $58 million is available for a broad range of housing counseling programs to help families find and preserve housing. The funding is an increase of $11 million, or 23 percent, over last year. These grants will be awarded competitively to hundreds of HUD-approved counseling agencies and State Housing Finance Agencies that offer a variety of services including how to purchase or rent a home, how to avoid foreclosure, how to improve credit scores, and how to qualify for a reverse mortgage. View HUD news release. Access funding announcement and application. |
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| HUD Sanctions More Than 100 FHA Lenders |
| The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced actions against more than 120 lenders for violating FHA requirements. Violations range from failure to conduct sufficient quality control, to failure to continue to meet FHA recertification requirements, to falsifying loan documents. See HUD press release. View List of lenders and the actions taken. |
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| HUD Secretary Donovan Announces That the New $8,000 Homebuyer Tax Credit Can be 'Monetized' and Used for Downpayment |
| The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 offers homebuyers a tax credit of up to $8,000 for purchasing their first home. Until now, families could only access this tax credit after filing their tax returns with the IRS. HUD Secretary Donovan’s announcement details FHA's rules allowing state Housing Finance Agencies and certain nonprofits to "monetize" up to the full amount of the tax credit (depending on the amount of the mortgage) so that borrowers can immediately apply the funds toward their down payments. Read HUD's news release.
Read FHA's new mortgagee letter. |
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| Renters Get New Protections From Foreclosure |
| Renters have more protection against losing their homes under a new foreclosure prevention bill President Obama signed into law on May 20. Starting immediately, the law requires that tenants who pay their rent on time can remain in their home until the end of their lease. Even without a lease, renters must be allowed to stay in their home for 90 days after the foreclosure. Learn more at WashingtonPost.com, including a link to state-by-state analysis of eviction and foreclosure laws. In response, the National Low Income Housing Coalition has developed a Renters in Foreclosure Toolkit that counselors can use as part of their foreclosure prevention efforts. Get this resource. |
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| Housing Industry Federal Funding Opportunities |
| A new page on nw.org features funding opportunities, arising from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the Stimulus Bill). On the page you will find current ARRA and other federal funding opportunities that you may be able to tap as you develop your housing projects and programs. Upcoming:
Neighborhood Stabilization Program — Deadline July 17, 2009
HUD is currently receiving grant applications for the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP), which provides $1.93 billion in Recovery Act funding to combat the effects of home foreclosures. Applications for NSP funds are due July 17, 2009. Modifications were posted May 12. View the full announcement.
Notice: HUD has recently posted revisions and technical corrections to the Neighborhood Stabilization program. Access them here.
View more federal funding opportunities on nw.org.
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| Bank of America's Neighborhood Excellence Initiative |
| The Bank of America Charitable Foundation's Neighborhood Excellence Initiative is accepting applications for 2009 awards. This program recognizes and rewards individuals and organizations making a difference in communities across the country, and is divided into three categories: Neighborhood Builders, Local Heroes, and Student Leaders. The student leaders program recognizes high school juniors and seniors identified as exemplary young people with a passion for improving their communities. The Neighborhood builders award funds up to $200,000 for operating support. The local hero's award is $5,000 to eligible charitable organizations. Learn more on the foundation's Web site. |
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| Chicago Symposium to Focus on Using Social Media to Engage Communities |
| Social media Web sites are gaining in popularity and attention from organizations. To learn more about the ever growing list of social media resources available to you — many free of charge — attend the Chicago Training Institute this August, where you can take part in the special social media symposium, Social Media and Web 2.0: Engaging Community and Achieving Mission. Join us for this innovative symposium and learn about ways organizations are taking advantage of the technologies of sites such as Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, Digg and more! Register online now! |
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| Learning Beyond the Institute in Chicago |
At the Chicago NTI, you can take advantage of the amazing community development work going on in the city to discover new techniques and best practices to enhance your own work. To learn about the latest efforts in the field, and to see community development in action, consider registering for:
- CB720 — Community Engagement Forum and Mobile Workshop: Maximizing the Power of Volunteers and Service
Join us for this very special peer-to-peer learning exchange with practical applications for your organization. We’ll be discussing and sharing tools and techniques to maximize the
power of volunteers and service through successful community engagement.
- NR720 — Neighborhood Revitalization Forum and Mobile Workshop: New and Exciting Ways Local Governments Can Connect to Community
We are now seeing much experimentation with new ways of engaging the affected constituency in local government for public support and decision-making — traditional public hearings no longer suffice. Proactive approaches, network based recruitment, deliberative discussions and online constituency-building are but a few of the emerging ways to promote participation. These new ideas and the successful “tried and true” ideas — plus others you bring — will be addressed in this innovative two-day forum.
- CP249 — Green in Action — Chicago!
For affordable housing practitioners who are ready to implement green and healthy housing methods and materials, here is an exciting one-day field-based experience you can’t miss. After brief introductions in the classroom we will spend the day “on tour” visiting local outstanding sites that showcase green materials and methods.
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| E-Learning for Board Members and Leaders |
| Members of boards of directors, board chairs and board treasurers know that strong leadership, effective oversight techniques, the ability to negotiate and other skills are crucial to the success of their organizations. However, building these skills through participation in structured training courses can be a challenge due to the time commitment involved. NeighborWorks America has developed a solution to this challenge – e-learning courses focused specifically on board governance and leadership. These courses are conveniently packaged for efficient and effective online learning, and are flexibly designed to fit into your busy schedule, ensuring the best use of your time.
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| Free Forum in DC to Focus on Hurricane Mitigation |
| A free forum scheduled for June 24 in Washington, D.C., will focus on climate change and its impact on low-income communities, especially with regard to housing challenges and evacuation obstacles. Seating is limited and registration is required. This forum is one of a series organized by WeatherPredict Consulting Inc. and others. The agenda includes speakers from government agencies and community development organizations. |
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| Understanding Energy Star Building Standards for Your Neighborhood Stabilization Program |
| On June 10, NeighborWorks America hosted a Webinar on Energy Star requirements for Round 2 of HUD's Neighborhood Stabilization Program. The PowerPoint presentation, with audio, is available online. The slides can be downloaded here. |
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| Foreclosure Rescue Scams Fact Sheet Available in Four Different Languages |
| In a effort to make as many homeowners as possible aware of foreclosure rescue scams, NeighborWorks America has translated its tips on How to Avoid Foreclosure Rescue Scams in three other languages: Spanish, Chinese and Korean. The fact sheets are easily accessible on the NeighborWorks America homepage. |
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