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December 30, 2010 (San Diego)--HOME (Home Owners Mobile Education) will offer FREE counseling services to San Diego homeowners experiencing difficulties making monthly mortgage payments. The HOME clinic will be held on Saturday, January 8, 2011 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Malcolm X Branch Library & Performing Arts Center. This event is in co-sponsorship with Congresswoman Susan Davis, and the Legal Aid Society of San Diego Pro Bono Program.
Information and resources will be provided to homeowners who are having problems making mortgage payments. Homeowners will also be educated about foreclosure prevention options.
The HOME clinic is a free community service program of the Housing Opportunities Collaborative, a coalition of nonprofit organizations and agencies that provide housing counseling and housing resources. The HOME clinic pools attorneys, real estate and mortgage industry professionals, housing counseling agencies, fair housing agencies, and other public agencies into one location to give a one-stop shop of counseling resources.
It aims to connect distressed homeowners to legal assistance, consumer protection assistance, credit counseling, and fair housing counseling. Troubled homeowners will get a personal review of their mortgage/lending/escrow documents. Attorneys will render real estate, bankruptcy, landlord-tenant, and tax law guidance. Participants will not be solicited for business or asked to make commitments with any professional with whom they speak.
In addition to the one-to-one counseling they will receive, homeowners can also attend educational sessions on foreclosure, consumer protection and credit/budgeting. Homeowners will learn and get advice on:
* Loan modifications and short sales
* Credit management and credit reporting
* What to do when an adjustable rate mortgage will reset soon
* What predatory lending is and what they should do if they are a victim of it
* What options are available to them if foreclosure is imminent
* Information for homeowners who are overpaying property taxes
* Tax consequences of sale of home
"These homeowners need immediate help in order to understand and evaluate their options. With the mortgage types and balances found throughout the area, we must educate and empower borrowers in order to mitigate major losses in our communities, "says Gabe del Rio, VP of Lending and HomeOwnership at Community HousingWorks, and Chairman of the Housing Opportunities Collaborative.
Counseling will be available in both English and Spanish. Participating homeowners are urged to bring their mortgage documents. Homeowners are encouraged to make an advance reservation to ensure an appointment with an advisor on the day of the event. Homeowners that do not make a reservation in advance will be seen on a first-come, first served basis. To make a reservation, please leave your name and telephone number at (619) 283-2200 or send an email to HOMEClinic@housingcollaborative.org
The Valencia Park/Malcolm X Library & Performing Arts Center is located at 5148 Market Street, San Diego 92114. The Library's hours of operation are Tuesday and Wednesday 12:30 to 8:00 p.m., Thursday and Friday 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and closed on Sunday and Monday.
Learn about other events at the San Diego Public Library's Central Library and 35 branches, find links to numerous additional resources, or search for materials in the Library's catalog online at www.sandiegolibrary.org
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