Neighborhood Summit
Every year in the late spring, as part of NeighborWorks America’s Neighbor Week, Lawrence CommunityWorks has what is called a Neighborhood Summit. This is an open opportunity for neighbors to weigh in about the direction of the organization as it relates to our neighborhood.
Neighborhood summits of the past have resulted in a range of different projects from the development of affordable housing and parks on vacant lots to Family Asset Building programs. This year as we watched the continued rise in foreclosures hurt our neighbors and neighborhood it quickly became the focus of the Summit.
June 7th, 2008, Lawrence, MA
Lawrence CommunityWorks hosted a Foreclosure Summit in response to the impact that the foreclosure crisis is having on the families and the neighborhoods of Lawrence. Lawrence is ranked in the 5th commonwealth for foreclosure filings. Subprime loans, accounting for over two of three of the foreclosure filings, have left our neighborhoods with increased vacant properties, and have left many of our homeowners and renters wondering where and how they will access shelter and housing for their families. The current foreclosure crisis affects everyone-those being foreclosed on, surrounding neighbors, friends and families. This is a community issue, and it is time for Lawrencians to unite around this crisis and take back our neighborhoods.
Lawrencians had the opportunity to join neighbors, city officials, police and foreclosure specialist to unite, to learn, and take action. Informative workshops were offered on the following topics: facing foreclosure, purchasing foreclosed properties, living near foreclosed properties. The summit will end with a solidarity march to take back our neighborhood.
Foreclosure Orientation
A workshop designed for homeowners who are seeking aid to resolving and or prevent mortgage delinquency. Homeowners learned about the foreclosure process of Massachusetts and the options available to prevent it and help them. Participants gained the knowledge needed to decide which options are suitable for their situation and the confidence to begin taking action. All participants received a follow-up personal consultation that focused on helping them achieve their goal.
Buying Foreclosed Property
A workshop designed to guide potential homebuyers through the expectations of a foreclosure sale, what to expect from a foreclosure purchase team, and how to prepare for purchasing foreclosed properties.
Foreclosure Panel Discussion
A panel composed of individuals who had gone through foreclosure, a youth whose family had faced foreclosure, a tenant facing eviction due to foreclosure, a LCW staff and two lenders who have extensive experience working with families facing foreclosure. This panel was excellent because it aided people in realizing how foreclosure affects all people. Everyone who attended felt that the panelists were engaging with their stories and experiences and great questions came from the participants. The panel provided a complete picture of what it means for the family and individual to face foreclosure, the emotional toll that it takes and what it takes to keep moving. This workshop was designed as an open forum to discuss how foreclosure affected families and individuals on an emotional level.
Our Community and Foreclosure
A workshop designed as a panel discussion to talk about what is being done and what we can do as a community to keep our properties safe and well maintained. The workshop included information about ordinances passed by the city and strategies utilized by the different City Department to address this crisis. Attended by members of the Mayor’s Taskforce, which consist of the departments of Community Development, Inspectional Services, Planning, and the Police and Fire Department on Foreclosure whose purpose of is to take holistic multi-departmental approach to addressing the impact of the foreclosure crisis on our neighborhoods. The main goal was to ensure that the maintenance of the housing stocks so that once this crisis ends the City of Lawrence is not left with an abundance of abandoned and unsafe properties. The Taskforce gave an overview on their department’s role and reveling their strategies to utilized the neighborhood to create a map of all of the foreclosed properties in the city, the creation of an ordinance mandating the upkeep of foreclosed properties, consistent canvassing/monitoring of the neighborhoods by police and fire departments.
State Representative William Lantigua also joined the panel and spoke about the legislation that is being worked on the State level.