PROVIDENCE, RI – February 17, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch has announced that the Rhode Island Housing HelpCenter is a winner of a 2009 Justice Award in the category of Consumer Protection. The awards are given in recognition of an extraordinary commitment to justice exhibited by members of the community.
The award will be presented at the Celebration of Justice Reception on Thursday, February 25 at 6:00 p.m., in the 3rd floor Conference Room of the Department of Attorney General.
“We are honored to have the work of our HelpCenter recognized by Attorney General Lynch,” says Richard Godfrey, Executive Director of Rhode Island Housing. “At the onset of this unprecedented housing crisis, other counseling agencies were simply overwhelmed. With our receipt of federal funding, Rhode Island Housing has seen over 5,000 Rhode Islanders walk through the doors of our HelpCenter. Some were victims of predatory lending, others of scams that followed offers to ‘save their homes.’ For others, it was the loss of jobs and the economic crisis that brought on their struggles. Many factors have come together to put Rhode Island homeowners in crisis.”
Adds Godfrey, “Our HelpCenter provides a safe place for advice and education when it comes to protecting both homeowners and tenants from foreclosure, or coping with the loss of a home. Here in Rhode Island, which is currently ranked 11th in the nation for foreclosure activity, distressed homeowners are at particularly high risk of predators.”
Besides implementing educational and awareness campaigns to caution Rhode Islanders to seek out help early, Rhode Island Housing also implemented a communications campaign to alert homeowners of the risks associated with fraudulent mortgage modifications and foreclosure rescue scams. The campaign included a series of public service announcements in partnership with the state Attorney General’s Office, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), R.I. Department of Business Regulation, the Rhode Island Congressional delegation, the Mayor of Providence, Urban League of Rhode Island, NAACP Providence Branch, Rhode Island Legal Services, Money Management International, Housing Action Coalition of Rhode Island, The Housing Network of Rhode Island, and the agency’s housing partners.
As the need for help is growing, Rhode Island Housing continues to work with its partners to bring free foreclosure workshops to communities throughout the state as part of the HelpCenter’s services. Rhode Island Housing’s trusted and trained counselors are on hand to provide advice, education, resources and referrals free of charge to assist homeowners in understanding the many options now available to those in need of housing help. In addition, in partnership with Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), The Housing Network of Rhode Island, and the Attorney General’s Office, the HelpCenter also participated in a free seminar to alert Rhode Islanders of the scams currently plaguing Rhode Island and raise awareness of the available resources and recourse in the public and non-profit sectors.
“By reaching people at the first sign of trouble, we can offer them more options,” says Godfrey. “To date, our efforts have not only kept many homeowners seeking assistance in their homes, we have prevented many more from falling prey to those offering false promises and steep fees for foreclosure assistance. Our efforts continue to help homeowners in trouble arm themselves with the tools and information they need to protect themselves against fraud, avoid housing trouble, or find a safe solution to their situation that best meets their needs.”
