Facing foreclosure? Free help is available.
Free film screening: American Casino
The Boardwalk, 940 Monroe NW
7 p.m. Weds. March 3, 2010
Learn how the housing crisis happened and what we can do about it in Kent County. Kym Spring from Foreclosure Response will answer questions and provide help. People can get help before it is too late if they are worried about a foreclosure.
The film, American Casino, lays out how the mortgage industry turned the US into a casino that gambled away millions of American’s homes. Since 2004, 6,773 homes have been lost to foreclosure in the city of Grand Rapids alone.
Locally, free housing counselors, such as those at Home Repair Services, have had an outstanding success rate; 47% of the homeowners HRS has counseled have managed to hold on to their homes. What many homeowners do not realize, housing counseling is available to anyone in foreclosure, no matter what their income.
New Michigan regulations have provided more protections for those renting their homes, as well. A renter in good standing can stay in a foreclosed home. The new owner has to let them sign a new lease, unless the owner occupies the home. In that case, the renter can remain in the home for 90 days. Legal Aid of West Michigan offers assistance for renters in foreclosed properties.
For information, visit the Foreclosure Response Web site.
Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy 
“There’s no place like home”…and you want to remain there in your older years. Your home is comfortable and convenient, and you feel safe and independent there.
If you agree with these statements, you’re among the 83% of older Americans who say they want to stay in their current home for the rest of their lives It’s been reported that over 80% of people aged 65 and older are homeowners, and over 60% or older people live in homes that are more than 20 years old. Further, 36% of home foreclosures are due to unresolved home repair problems.