Mission Accomplished - Foreclosure Workshop

Yesterday (June 23rd) the Minnesota Home Ownership Center, in partnership with US Bank, Freddie Mac and the City of Minneapolis, hosted the first day of a two-day Foreclosure Prevention Workshop at South High School in Minneapolis.

Dozens of homeowners received counseling and were able to meet face-to-face with their lender/servicer to discuss options to preventing their foreclosure. 

Here are some of the comments we heard from homeowners as they were leaving the event:

Mission accomplished!  I came tonight just to get [my bank] to listen to my situation.  Not only did they listen... they said they'd lower my payment and my new paperwork will be at my house by the end of the week.  Thank you!

I got more accomplished in 15 minutes here today than I've been able to accomplish in 3 months of trying to work with [my bank] on the phone.  I'm so glad I came here tonight.

I just saw you on Fox-9... and decided to come over.  I'm so glad I did.  I finally got them to listen to my situation.  Thanks!

Homeowners are welcome to come today (June 24) as well!  Lenders, non-profit housing counselors and legal services representatives will be back at South High starting at 2:00 today.  Do you have questions about your mortgage?  Not sure where to turn?  Feel free to drop by today and learn about the steps you can take to avoid foreclosure.  Homeowners from any/all lenders and from anywhere in Minnesota are welcome to drop by.

The workshop was also highlighted by Jessica Mador on Minnesota Public Radio.  The article is here.

A flyer for the workshop is available for download here.

Foreclosure Prevention Workshop for Unemployed

The Minnesota Home Ownership Center, the Community Action Partnership of Suburban Hennepin County and the Minnesota WorkForce Centers are working together to offer free workshops for homeowners who are worried about making upcoming mortgage payments, are already facing foreclosure or for anyone interested in learning more about the foreclosure process in Minnesota.

The workshop will provide information on what happens during foreclosures, homeowners’ rights, and solutions for long-term housing needs. Participants will be able to ask questions and get free advice – confidentially - from local, non-profit foreclosure counselors.

The first workshop in the series will be held on Thursday, February 18th at the Hennepin South WorkForce Center (Bloomington) from 10:30am to 12:00noon.

For a map to the Hennepin South WorkForce Center, click here.

For a press release of the upcoming workshop, click here.

For a flyer you can freely distribute to help us promote the workshop, click here.

To view all upcoming workshops hosted by the Center, click here.

Success: a follow-up email we received

Back in December, the MN Home Ownership Center, with the help of 14 non-profit foreclosure counselors from the Center's network of providers, more than a dozen additional volunteers, and representatives from Wells Fargo Bank, held a workshop on foreclosure avoidance that was attended by hundreds of homeowners from Minnesota's SE Asian community.  (More info on the event here).

Today the Center received a follow-up email from one of the volunteers at the event:

I volunteered at this event to learn more about the foreclosure process so I could better serve my members. After learning about this event, I strongly encouraged one of my members, who was in foreclosure to attend the event. I was thrilled when she attended, knowing she was already in 4+ months of not paying her mortgage. I am very happy to report that today, I learned, with the assistance of your workshop and being connected to a foreclosure specialist, she was able to qualify for modifying her mortgage and has decreased her monthly payments from $950 to a more manageable $674. The most rewarding part of this, is knowing that she, her husband (both who are disabled) and their 7 children will still have somewhere to live. Thank you for all the hard work you do.

These are the success stories that keep us motivated here at the Center.  Our mission is "Succesful Home Ownership"... and we're glad we were a part of this family's success! 

The Center is currently finalizing its Foreclosure Counseling Report for 2009 which we'll be releasing in the coming weeks.  The report aggregates thousands of stories like the one above.  Stay tuned for more information.  (You can subscribe to receive our blog posts via email on the right-hand side of this page, or subscribe to our RSS feed here).

For more information on events, workshops and future trainings, visit the Center's website here.

¡EXITAZO! Evento Contra El Embargo (Foreclosure) En Minneapolis

Readers... don't panic... you're still at the MN Home Ownership Center's blog!  The Spanish headline is a response to the Center's "Borrower Workshop for the Latino Community" that was held at Plaza Verde in Minneapolis on Saturday January 9th.

'Exitazo' means HUGE SUCCESS... and the event was, indeed, a huge success:

• More than 160 people attended the event;
• Over a dozen foreclosure prevention counselors from local non-profit housing counseling agencies worked with homeowners to get their questions answered and start the counseling process
• Four lenders/servicers (Chase/JP Morgan; Freddie Mac; US Bank and Wells Fargo) assisted with outreach by mailing and calling consumers and sending loss mitigation staff to work with homeowners
• More than a dozen volunteers worked tirelessely to register homeowners and coordinate the event
• Mayor's from Minneapolis, St. Paul, Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, Plymouth, Richfield and Bloomington assisted with outreach by signing letters inviting homeowners to the event.
• The event was highlighted in two Spanish-speaking newspapers and two radio stations.  Graciela Mendez from Neighborhood Development Alliance was interviewed on "La Invasora" during the event.

Here are a few pictures from the event:

For additional pictures, feel free to visit the photoset at the Center's FlickR album.  Did you take pictures of the event?  We'd love to add them to our album.  Contact Ed Nelson.

The Center's outreach to the Spanish-speaking community is not limited to large-scale events like the workshop at Plaza Verde.  The Center has a Spanish-Language website here, and is constantly working with its network partners to improve information sharing with the Latino Community.  A complete list of all of our handouts/fact sheets in Spanish is available here.

Hundreds Turn Out For Foreclosure Prevention Workshop

On Saturday, December 5th, 2009... Hundreds of homeowners from Minnesota's SE Asian community came to South High School in Minneapolis seeking assistance in preventing foreclosure.

With the help of 14 non-profit foreclosure counselors from the Center's network of providers, more than a dozen additional volunteers, and several representatives from Wells Fargo Bank, more than 200 people were able to receive information about Minnesota's foreclosure process and begin working with a non-profit counselor to find a solution to THEIR mortgage issues.

The event was targeted to the Metro Area's SE Asian population, and the Center is pleased that families in those communities responded.  Of those people who expressed a language preference upon registration, here is the breakdown:

At registration, we also asked attendees to share with us their reason for coming to the workshop (the reason for their mortgage issue).  Of those who chose to respond, here is the breakdown:

Overwhelmingly... job loss or a reduction in income was the NUMBER 1 reason workshop attendees are struggling with their mortgages.

The Center will be holding a similar workshop for Minnesota's Latino (Spanish-speaking) population on the 9th of January (2010).  For more information on that workshop - or to volunteer to help, click Here.

Disappointingly... MANY of the workshop participants told counselors and volunteers that they have already begun working with (and paying for!) for-profit loan modification companies.  NO HOMEOWNER that is struggling with mortgage payments should have to PAY for help.  Non-profit Foreclosure Counseling is available FREE OF CHARGE to ALL Minnesota residents.  Be Careful.

Additional photos from the event are available on the Center's FlickR gallery... here.

This Saturday - Dec 5 - Workshop for Struggling Homeowners

SATURDAY DECEMBER 5th

9:00am - 1:00pm (Open House)

South High School

3131 19th Avenue South, Minneapolis

The Center is continuing its preparations for a large-scale workshop for struggling homeowners in the Twin Cities Metro area Asian community. More than 12 non-profit Foreclosure Counselors will be on hand and dozens of volunteers will be working diligently to assist homeowners that may not know where to turn for help. Representatives from Wells Fargo bank will also be participating to assist clients whose loans are serviced by Wells. (Dozens of other lenders have been invited and may also participate)

The Center has conducted a direct mailing of over 15,000 letters - many signed by local mayors from Minneapolis, St. Paul, Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, Plymouth, Richfield and Bloomington to let consumers know about the event! The event has been highlighted in local Asian newspapers and on several radio programs.

At the event, homeowners will be able to hear a presentation about the foreclosure process in Minnesota and the kinds of help and assistance offered by the non-profit network of counselors, get information about how to contact a housing counselor that speaks their language and, if they'd like, even have a brief appointment with one of those housing counselors to get some of their questions answered directly.

English, Hmong, Vietnamese, Laotian, Chinese (both Cantonese and Mandarin) Korean, Khmer (Cambodian) Japanese and even Spanish-speaking counselors and volunteers will be present!

Do you speak a SE Asian language? Would you like to volunteer to make a difference to struggling families? Contact John Reynolds at the Center ASAP to volunteer. (There will be a training at the Center on Friday, December 4th, 9:00am for volunteers)

You can still help us spread the word! Please post the flyer or share with your friends/family/clients (they don't have to be Asian!). A copy of the flyer, with additional information about the event, is available here. For copies in Hmong or Chinese, visit our website here.

Event Reminders

Just a short post to remind everyone about the upcoming events that the Center is either hosting or will be present at:

For Professionals:

• Foreclosure Prevention Information Training for professionals working in Minnesota's SE Asian Communities. Last day to register! More info, click here.
• Emerging Markets Homeownership Initiative Third Annual Summit and Entry Cost Assistance Matrix Training. Space is limited! More info, click here.

For Homebuyers:

• Before you buy... Think HomeStretch! Homebuyer education and counseling that covers, start to finish, EVERYTHING that's involved in becoming a homeowner. Understand your rights and responsibilities throughout the entire process. More info, click here.
• Thinking of buying in Minneapolis? Join us at the City's Housing fair(s) - TWO DATES - 10/20 and 10/21. More info here.

For Homeowners:

• Stuggling with payments? You don't have to wait for an event... you can contact a FREE, non-profit Foreclosure Specialist today. Click here.
• Like to learn more about foreclosure in Minnesota - and the help and assistance that is available to Minnesota residents? Learn more at a confidential workshop at your local library. Additional information here.
• Live in Minneapolis? You can also visit the one of the City's two housing fairs (Tuesday October 20 and Wednesday, October 21) to learn more. More info here.

HopeNow Borrower Workshop - Resource Listing

As we've stated in other blog posts, the Center is proud to participate with the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank (Fed), NeighborWorks America & the HopeNow alliance to co-host a foreclosure prevention workshop in St. Paul.

As a reminder, the workshop will be held at the RiverCentre in St. Paul on June 4th.

In addition to the 'standard' resources available at a HopeNow event... where homeowners who are either falling behind, or in danger of falling behind, on the mortgage can speak one-on-one with their servicer or lender - AND - speak with a non-profit housing counselor, the St. Paul event goes one step further.

At the event, while homeowners are waiting to speak with a counselor or their servicer, they will be able to visit a resource fair as well. Resource providers include agencies and organizations that can assist distressed homeowners with repair/rehab issues, energy assistance, taxpayer services, employment assistance, food assistance and many others.

For a complete list of resources, visit the HopeNow Event page of the Center's website here.

The page also lists additional information about the workshop... including a list of non-profit counseling agencies that will be participating. A list of all lenders and servicers will be included as soon as it becomes available.

Workshop at Brooklyn Park City Hall - Tonight!

In partnership with Hennepin County, Hennepin County Libraries and the City of Brooklyn Park, the Center is offering workshop tonight at Brooklyn Park City Hall.

At tonight's workshop, homeowners and renters, can learn about the foreclosure process, what kinds of helps and assistance are available in Minnesota and meet with Non-profit Foreclosure Specialists, representatives from Hennepin County Taxpayer Services, and attorneys specializing in Renter Advocacy. In addition, attendees will be able to set up an appointment for a more personalized, in-depth discussion at a later time.

Additional information, from the City of Brooklyn Park's website is here: http://bit.ly/4h4L9t

The workshop will be held at City Hall:
5200 85th Ave. N.
Brooklyn Park, MN 55443

From 6:30pm - 8:00pm