At Risk Teens Impacted by Community Building

KLS.com in Salt Lake City, Utah, recently reported on a NeighborWorks Salt Lake program called YouthWorks that offers teens at risk a paycheck, a chance to grow personally, and help improve their neighborhood. YouthWorks follows a gang intervention model that creates opportunities and builds stronger neighborhoods.

The KLS.com report focused on a work crew of 10 teens that are putting the finishing touches on a home that was deteriorating and vacant. The young men in YouthWorks had gutted it and rebuilt it, to put it on the market.

View video and read the article.

HUD Honors NeighborWorks Great Falls Executive Director Sheila Rice

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently presented NeighborWorks Great Falls Executive Director Sheila Rice with an award recognizing her accomplishments in foreclosure prevention and strengthening homeownership programs. HUD's Lyle Konkol presented the award to Rice, and said she was a "dynamic leader at the helm" of NeighborWorks Great Falls.

NeighborWorks America Chief Operating Officer Eileen Fitzgerald has said this about Sheila: “She is a true champion of the brand, 'NeighborWorks.' She is always looking for ways to raise the visibility of the brand. She has been instrumental in leading the way to get NeighborWorks organizations to think about new ways to approach service delivery. Where some folks might see a problem or a challenge, Sheila thinks creatively about how to achieve impact and develops strategic solutions that turn a challenge into an opportunity."

AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteers to Work with NeighborWorks Organizations in Local Communities

NeighborWorks America announces its sponsorship of one of the largest AmeriCorps VISTA programs to date: up to 168 VISTA volunteers will be sponsored by 67 local NeighborWorks organizations in 35 states.

The VISTA volunteers will work in local communities to reduce the rate of foreclosure, strengthen areas hard hit by the recession and foreclosure crisis, and bolster financial fitness and asset building among low- and moderate-income homeowners and renters.

All VISTA volunteers will be in place by September 30, 2009 and each will complete one full year of service.

Find out more about NeighborWorks' VISTA sponsorship.

Learn more about the AmeriCorps VISTA program, including how you or your organization can become involved.

Eligibility Recently Expanded for Making Home Affordable Mortgage Refinancing

A recent expansion of the Making Home Affordable program now allows borrowers who are current but up to 125 percent underwater on their mortgage to refinance those loans according to the terms of the Making Home Affordable refinance program. Participation in the program remains limited to those whose mortgages are currently owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. This change, however, opens the door to refinance relief for more borrowers fighting to keep their homes in areas hit hard by the foreclosure crisis. More information on the expansion is available on HUD's Web site. Borrowers can check to see if they are eligible for a Home Affordable Refinance on the Making Home Afforbable Web site.

NeighborWorks Foreclosure Prevention Ads Ranked Third Among Donated Ad Space Last Year

The New York Times recently reported that of the campaigns receiving the most support from media last year, the NeighborWorks America and Ad Council spots to help homeowners prevent foreclosure ranked third. According to the report, the foreclosure prevention campaign received $72.9 million in donated space and time, behind campaigns for parental control of TV sets and the campaign to prevent drunk driving. In total, media companies donated commercial time, ad space and other support for pro bono campaigns worth more than $1.83 billion last year. We would like to thank our network and partners, as well as the media, for their support of our outreach to homeowners facing foreclosure.

Read New York Times article. View NeighborWorks press release.