Initiative to help S.C. Homeowners Proactively Prevent Foreclosure
December 13th, 2007
Charleston, S.C. – The South Carolina Association of Community Development Corporations (SCACDC) has established partnerships with Family Services, Inc., South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center, NeighborWorks® America, South Carolina Legal Services, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond to launch the South Carolina Foreclosure Initiative. The purpose of the initiative is to educate target audiences about preventing foreclosures in the state of South Carolina and to connect homeowners vulnerable to foreclosure to the various institutions who have established resources to help. A training event for certified housing counselors was convened Wednesday, December 12th at the Trident One Stop Career Center located at 1930 Hanahan Road in North Charleston from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm. The non-profit organizations that commit to serve on the foreclosure delivery system will be announced at the Palmetto Affordable Housing Forum January 30, 2008.
“We are grateful these partners have taken the initiative to address the foreclosure challenge we are facing in South Carolina. We recognize their leadership in the effort to prevent and bring relief to this problem going forward,” said Bernie Mazyck, President and CEO of the SCACDC, a state-wide trade association of community-based development corporations within the state’s economically distressed communities. The SCACDC has pursued a wealth building strategy for the last 12 years and through the Foreclosure Initiative seeks to protect the assets that families and communities have built over that period of time.
Family Services, Inc. is a human service company that seeks new opportunities to provide innovative services to consumer problems through qualified professionals who create and restore the realization of dreams. South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center is dedicated to advocacy for low income people in South Carolina to effect systemic change by acting in and through the courts, legislature, administrative agencies, community and the media, and helping others do the same through education, training and co-counseling. South Carolina Appleseed led the efforts in 2003 for the passage of the High Cost and Consumer Home Loan Act, one of the nation’s toughest anti-predatory lending laws. Its staff provides training, consultation and analysis for attorneys and social service organizations around the state that are representing clients facing foreclosure. NeighborWorks® America is a national nonprofit organization created by Congress to provide financial support, technical assistance, and training for community-based revitalization efforts. South Carolina Legal Services (SCLS) provides free legal services in a wide variety of civil (non-criminal) legal matters to eligible low income residents of South Carolina. The Federal Reserve System comprises the Board of Governors in Washington D.C. and 12 Federal Reserve Districts located nationwide. The Fifth District, which is headquartered in Richmond, Va., serves the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and most of West Virginia. As the nation’s central bank, the Federal Reserve sets monetary policy, supervises and regulates member financial institutions and provides an array of financial services.
For more information on foreclosures, visit www.communitydevelopmentsc.org or contact the SCACDC office at (843) 579-9855.
Powerpoints and Articles:
•South Carolina Foreclosure Process, Sue Berkowitz, SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center
•Fighting Foreclosure: Neighborworks America Innovations in Foreclosure Prevention
•Financial Institutions and Foreclosure Intervention
•Single Family Mortgage Default Process: A Discussion on the Value of Interventions on Non Profit Programs