Kerry, Brown: Seven Mass Housing Organizations To Receive $399,780 For Foreclosure Prevention

BOSTON, MA – April 20, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown today announced that seven Massachusetts housing organizations will receive a total of $399,780 in federal funding from NeighborWorks America. The funding will be used to help local communities revitalize and sustain their neighborhoods and to provide counseling to families and individuals facing the threat of foreclosure.

NeighborWorks America provides funding to communities to help stem the tide of foreclosures that threaten neighborhoods and local economies; create homeownership opportunities for families, produce and manage affordable, high-quality rental properties, and revitalize and strengthen communities.

“We’ve been fighting for this lifeline a long time. A hell of a lot of people who played by the rules are still hanging on by their fingernails facing foreclosure thanks to Wall Street greed and the housing meltdown. These investments mean financial counseling to thousands of homeowners facing foreclosure or trying to buy a home for the first time, and preserves affordable housing options for people across Massachusetts,” said Senator Kerry.

“I am pleased these Massachusetts organizations will receive federal funding, as it will allow them to better carry out their mission of providing assistance to neighborhoods and communities in need,” said Senator Scott Brown.

The following organizations will receive funding:

Coalition for a Better Acre (Lowell) $72,540

Coalition for a Better Acre has been working to promote healthy, vibrant neighborhoods by developing resident leaders, affordable housing and economic opportunities in Lowell since 1982.

Lawrence Community Works $25,020

Lawrence CommunityWorks, Inc. has been working to transform and revitalize the physical, economic, and social landscape of Lawrence since 1981.

Neighborhood Housing Services of South Shore $49,500

Neighborhood Housing Services of the South Shore works to create housing opportunities by educating and assisting first time home buyers to purchase their own homes, developing affordable housing for those in need, and making home rehabilitation loans.

Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (East Boston) $25,020

Since 1987, the Neighborhood of Affordable Housing has been working to create and preserve affordable housing opportunities and build safe and healthy neighborhoods for those most in need and others challenged by today’s housing market.

Oak Hill Community Development Corp. (Worcester) $51,160

Oak Hill Community Development Corporation works to empower, enable and support community members in their efforts to revitalize the Union Hill, Oak Hill and Upsala Street neighborhoods of Worcester.

Twin Cities Community Development Corp. (Fitchburg & Leominster) $123,660

The Twin Cities Community Development Corporation, founded in 1979, focuses on economic development strategies, adding affordable housing and in recent years, community organizing, to more effectively harness the energy and voice of the community.

Urban Edge Housing Corporation (Roxbury) $47,880

Urban Edge works in partnership with residents, businesses and government institutions committed to developing and sustaining stable, healthy, and diverse communities in Jamaica Plain, Roxbury and surrounding communities. It works to develop high quality, affordable rental and owner housing, to assist to small businesses, and provide homeownership education and lending. It also works towards the development of educational facilities for youth and families.

This year, NeighborWorks America, a program created by Congress in 1978, is providing more than $119 million to more than 235 community-based non-profit organizations nationwide. In this year’s first round of funding, nine organizations in Massachusetts are set to receive a total of $2,326,250.

For the past five years the NeighborWorks network has been able to:

· Invest nearly $20 billion in America’s urban, rural and suburban communities;

· Provide homeownership counseling to 500,000 families;

· Assist more than 80,000 American families of modest means achieve their dream of home ownership;

· Develop, own and manage over 73,000 units of affordable, high-quality multi-family housing;

· Rehabilitate more than 85,000 homes, using state-of-the-art methods, including green and healthy building techniques;

· Create the nation’s largest force of certified homeownership education and foreclosure intervention counselors;

· Invest in rebuilding efforts in hurricane-affected communities across the Gulf Coast; and

· Mobilize hundreds of thousands of volunteers to revitalize communities.

For more information about NeighborWorks programs, please visit www.nw.org.

CONTACT:
Brigid O’Rourke, 617-565-8252