<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" ><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;"><BR><BR>--- On <B>Wed, 2/10/10, City of Evanston <I><epalmer@cityofevanston.org></I></B> wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: rgb(16,16,255) 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px"><BR>From: City of Evanston <epalmer@cityofevanston.org><BR>Subject: Press Release City of Evanston Announces Foreclosure Prevention Partnership<BR>To: "Mary Wisniewski" <jowiz@sbcglobal.net><BR>Date: Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 4:56 PM<BR><BR>
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<TD vAlign=top rowSpan=2 width=195><A href="http://www.cityofevanston.org/" rel=nofollow target=_blank><IMG border=0 alt="city logo" align=center src="http://www.cityofevanston.org/images/enews/press-logo.jpg" width=174 height=157></A></TD></TR>
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<P style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma, Trebuchet MS', Arial; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: 12px" id=p29>Contact: Donna Spicuzza<BR id=br30>Phone: <FONT face=Arial>847/866-2928 ext 2564</FONT></DIV></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></TD></TR>
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<P style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000 1px; BORDER-LEFT: #000 1px; BORDER-TOP: #000 1px; BORDER-RIGHT: #000 1px" id=p75><SPAN style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000 1px; BORDER-LEFT: #000 1px; LINE-HEIGHT: 110%; FONT-FAMILY: georgia, arial; COLOR: #c44c51; FONT-SIZE: 20px; BORDER-TOP: #000 1px; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; BORDER-RIGHT: #000 1px" id=span39>City Announces Foreclosure Prevention Partnership with Interfaith Housing Center </SPAN></DIV>
<P style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000 1px; BORDER-LEFT: #000 1px; BORDER-TOP: #000 1px; BORDER-RIGHT: #000 1px" id=p40><STRONG>EVANSTON, IL - </STRONG><FONT face=Arial>The City of Evanston and the <A href="http://www.interfaithhousingcenter.org/" rel=nofollow target=_blank>Interfaith Housing Center of the Northern Suburbs</A> are pleased to announce a new partnership to expand one-on-one foreclosure prevention counseling and education to Evanston residents.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>The Evanston City Council recently approved a $25,000 grant from the Affordable Housing Fund to engage the Interfaith Housing Center of the Northern Suburbs, a HUD-certified fair housing and housing<A href="http://www.interfaithhousingcenter.org/mainpages/30aboutIHC.html" rel=nofollow target=_blank><IMG border=0 hspace=3 alt="" vspace=3 align=right src="http://www.cityofevanston.org/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=3166&g2_serialNumber=1" width=250 height=143></A> counseling agency, to directly assist at least 75 Evanston residents at risk of mortgage foreclosure, and educate at least 170 Evanston homeowners on how to prevent loans from becoming delinquent and avoiding fraudulent lenders or servicers. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Evanston residents worried about paying their mortgage loan or going into foreclosure can now meet with Interfaith staff for free, confidential counseling at the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Residents should call Interfaith at 847-501-5760 to schedule an appointment. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Curbing foreclosures has long been a concern among city council members and is a priority in the <A href="http://www.cityofevanston.org/government/boards/bcc/housing.shtml" rel=nofollow target=_blank>Evanston Housing Commission’s</A> 2009 <A href="http://www.cityofevanston.org/government/boards/bcc/pdf/PlanforAffordableHousingDec_09.pdf" rel=nofollow target=_blank>Affordable Housing Plan</A>. The number of foreclosures in Evanston more than tripled between 2005 and 2009, increasing from 96 in 2005 to 336 in 2009, according to Woodstock Institute reports. Interfaith worked with Evanston agencies to create an “<A href="http://www.cityofevanston.org/government/boards/bcc/pdf/TaskForce-1MembersforWeb.pdf" rel=nofollow target=_blank>Evanston Home Preservation Task Force</A>” to coordinate services to residents, many of whom were reluctant to come forward to seek help. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Interfaith’s foreclosure prevention counselors assist homeowners in gathering the proper documentation for possible loan modification, submit the documents on behalf of the homeowner, follow up with the lender regarding the loan modification request and inform the homeowner of steps to take to stay proactive. <A href="http://www.interfaithhousingcenter.org/mainpages/01contactus.html" rel=nofollow target=_blank>Interfaith also maintains its office in Winnetka</A>, open 9-5, Monday through Friday.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>In addition to individual counseling, Interfaith will hold community forums on communicating effectively with your lender, completing loan modification forms, avoiding mortgage rescue scams, and how to spot predatory lending. Forums will also provide information on federal programs and on <A href="http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product." rel=nofollow target=_blank>Energy Star products</A>. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>The Interfaith Housing Center of the Northern Suburbs is a nonprofit organization founded in 1972 that advocates for fair and affordable housing in 16 northern suburbs of Chicago. Based in Winnetka, Illinois, it investigates complaints of housing discrimination, organizes tenants in landlord-neglected buildings, operates a Homesharing Program, and organizes residents at a grassroots level to promote affordable housing and diverse communities. All services are free of charge. </FONT></DIV>
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<TD style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: arial; COLOR: #ffffff; FONT-SIZE: 12px" align=middle>City of Evanston, 2100 Ridge Ave., Evanston, IL 60201. To unsubscribe from this list send a blank email to <A href="http://us.mc817.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=leave-58665-47965.f47f3c61cbc520a9617c6377ce8ea77b@mail.cityofevanston.org" rel=nofollow target=_blank ymailto="mailto:leave-58665-47965.f47f3c61cbc520a9617c6377ce8ea77b@mail.cityofevanston.org"><STRONG>leave-58665-47965.f47f3c61cbc520a9617c6377ce8ea77b@mail.cityofevanston.org</STRONG></A><BR></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></td></tr></table>