Category: News

We joined Neighborworks® America to launch the Stop Home Scams Initiative to protect consumers against foreclosure and eviction fraud. StopHomeScams is a national public education campaign led by Neighborworks® America with support from the Wells Fargo Foundation, National Fair Housing Alliance, and National Foundation for Credit Counseling designed to help protect consumers by empowering them to act and protect their home and community from scammers. The goal is for consumers to know the signs, get the facts, and stop home scams.

The economic impact of COVID-19 has made housing security even more uncertain for many Americans. With a patchwork of forbearance and rental assistance programs scheduled to end and up to 21% of renters at risk of eviction, many families are seeking solutions and finding themselves at risk of being taken advantage of through questionable programs and unscrupulous actors until it is too late.

“We want to emphasize how important it is for consumers to know the signs of a housing scam and quickly report any scam activities,” said Marietta Rodriguez, president and chief executive officer of Neighborworks® America. “The Stop Home Scams initiative is making it easier for homeowners and renters in distress to protect themselves and help shut down scammers.”

Here are three key consumer tips for avoiding scammers —find more information and guidance on StopHomeScams.org:

• Avoid promises of success or anyone who guarantees to assist with payment or prevent foreclosure or eviction.
• Avoid companies that tell you to stop paying your rent or mortgage. Being told to stop paying is a sure sign of a scam.
• Reach out to your landlord or mortgage company when you are struggling with your monthly payments to ask any questions or share concerns about your home.

Access StopHomeScams to find educational resources to help recognize and report a housing scam. In addition to scam awareness tips, StopHomeScams.org provides links to state and national partner resources to support consumers and help them find assistance for their individual needs.

“We believe this effort to prevent housing scams is particularly important during a time when far too many families, including people of color impacted by the economic downturn caused by COVID-19, are facing financial challenges,” said Eileen Fitzgerald, head of housing affordability philanthropy with the Wells Fargo Foundation. “Protecting people from being compromised by scam attempts is important to helping keep people housed in a safe and affordable place they can call home.”

As a NeighborWorks network member, NHSSF is spreading the word and will educate consumers and conduct outreach efforts to community groups and residents across South Florida. StopHomeScams.org offers inclusive, consumer-friendly tools and resources.

“StopHomeScams.org is based on the belief that knowledge and action are the best defense against falling prey to scammers,” said Rodriguez. “That is why it was so important for NeighborWorks and our partners, like the Wells Fargo Foundation, to come together to help consumers, especially those most vulnerable at this time, with the tools they need to minimize their risk and stop scammers in their tracks. COVID-19 has proven to exacerbate scam activity, and consumers must empower themselves and protect their homes.”

For more information, visit www.StopHomeScams.org.

About NeighborWorks America

For more than 40 years, Neighborhood Reinvestment Corp., a national, nonpartisan nonprofit known as Neighborworks® America, has strived to make every community a place of opportunity. Our network of excellence includes nearly 240 members in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Neighborworks® America offers grant funding, peer-exchange, technical assistance, evaluation tools and access to training, as the nation’s leading trainer of housing and community development professionals. NeighborWorks network organizations provide residents in their communities with affordable homes, owned and rented; financial counseling and coaching; community building through resident engagement; and collaboration in the areas of health, employment and education.

About NHSSF

NHSSF is a certified CDFI and an accredited community development nonprofit serving South Florida residents for over 40 years. We are committed to advance prosperity for all South Floridians through Lending, Real Estate Development, Home Buyer Education & Counseling, and Community Transformation. NHSSF is also a chartered member of the NeighborWorks® America. In this capacity, we are part of a nationwide network of over 240 chartered community development organizations and one of the twenty that serve Florida residents.

We’re thrilled to announce that, together with neighbors and organizations in Palm Beach County, we have formed a solar co-op to save money and make going solar easier while building a network of solar supporters. 

We are part of the co-partnership that sponsors this initiative, together with the League of Women Voters Palm Beach County, Audubon Everglades, Citizen’s Climate Lobby Boca Raton, the City of Boca Raton, City of Boynton Beach, Climate Reality Project-Boca Raton Chapter, City of Delray Beach, Elders Climate Action, Interfaith Justice League, Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition, Sierra Club, Solar and Energy Loan Fund, Southeast Alliance for Clean Energy, South Florida Regional Planning Council Clean Cities Coalition, Temple L’Dor Va-Dor, The Green Corridor and Solar United Neighbors. 

As a group, we are seeking new members to join. We invite you to participate in a virtual information meeting Wednesday, January 27 at 6 pm to educate the Palm Beach County community about solar and the co-op process hosted by Solar United Neighbors.

Residents of the Palm Beach County interested in joining the co-op can sign up at the SolarUnitedNeighbors.org/PalmBeach. The solar co-op is free to join, and joining the co-op is not a commitment to purchase panels. Once the group is large enough, Solar United Neighbors will help the co-op solicit competitive bids from area solar installers. 

Co-op members will select a single company to complete all of the installations. They will then have the option to purchase panels individually based on the installer’s group rate. By going solar as a group and choosing a single installer, members can save off the cost of going solar and have guidance from the experts at Solar United Neighbors.

Thanks for helping us spread the sunny news with your neighbors!

NHSSF is a proud member of the recently announced African American Alliance of CDFI CEOs (The Alliance), launched at the 2020 Opportunity Finance Network’s annual conference. This coalition comprises 41 executives of CDFI loan funds representing all 50 States and the District of Columbia. The Alliance pledges to the support and growth of Black communities and the leaders of community development financial institutions (CDFIs) that serve those communities.

The Alliance will support and empower CDFI CEOs to lead and grow their institutional operations, teams, and social impact while also organizing a centralized network for Alliance members’ personal and professional development. The Alliance will also work to advance national change by voicing support for and influencing public policies that respond to the urgent needs of CFDI CEOs, their institutions, and the communities they serve.

“CDFIs are uniquely positioned to address the issues of access-to-capital needs of low-wealth populations and communities,” said Calvin Holmes, The Alliance vice-chair and President of Chicago Community Loan Fund, a CDFI that benefits low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, families, and individuals throughout metropolitan Chicago. “The Alliance is the only organization leveraging African American CDFI CEOs’ decades of expertise, relationships, and intellectual capital to change the odds and the outcomes for African Americans in underserved communities across America.”

NHSSF is one of the only a few community development finance institutions (CDFIs) offering residential mortgages in South Florida, among other financial services. In this capacity, NHSSF can connect low-wealth families to capital, creating an opportunity for individuals and serving a community that both government and private lenders find challenging to reach and serve effectively without NHSSF support. “That’s why we firmly believe that CDFIs resources will be essential for policymakers and local governments towards an economic recovery urgently needed in the near future,” stated Kimberly T. Henderson, President and CEO of Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida.

Find more information about The Alliance at https://aaacdfi.org/.

About the African American Alliance of CDFI CEOs (The Alliance)

The African American Alliance of CDFI CEOs (the Alliance) is a coalition committed to the support and growth of Black communities and the community development financial institutions (CDFIs) that serve those communities. The Alliance is comprised of 41 executives of CDFI loan funds representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. We envision a nationally connected, institutionally diverse community of African American CDFI CEOs and their allies working to transform Black economies across the U.S.