homepage> Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens Addresses the Mortgage Crisis

 

"Housing is a basic human right, not a luxury."
                                             -- Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio

Speaking at a press conference to raise awareness on the mortgage crisis in New York City are (l. to r.) Bertha Lewis, Executive Director of ACORN Brooklyn, Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Ph.D., D.D., Bishop of Brooklyn, New York Senator Charles Schumer, and Rev. Msgr. Alfred LoPinto, Vicar for Human Services, Diocese of Brooklyn.

 

Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens
Addresses the Mortgage Crisis

February 20, 2008, Brooklyn, NY--"One out of 40 homes with a mortgage in New York City had a foreclosure filing as of the end of September 2007," according to The New York Times. The boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens make up almost 20% of these foreclosures.

At a press conference, Senator Charles Schumer stated, "Many people in Brooklyn and Queens will go into foreclosure in 2008/2009 and don't know what to do. They also do not know that they can avoid this."

Together with Senator Schumer were Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, Assemblyman Vito Lopez, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens, Brooklyn ACORN, Neighborhood Economic Development and Advocacy Project (NEDAP), and Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS), who announced a series of workshops to educate the community about foreclosure prevention and available resources.

Bishop DiMarzio has asked Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens to take the lead in this effort. Under the direction of Rev. Msgr. Alfred LoPinto, Vicar for Human Services, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens is collaborating with community organizations and the parishes in communities most affected. Our goal is to help our neighbors understand the terms of their mortgage before a crisis arises, and advise where they can get help should they go into foreclosure.

On February 29, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens will co-sponsor a forum for service providers on The Mortgage Crisis and its impact on indivduals, families and communities at St. John's University, Queens, NY. Educational workshops for community members begin February 24. Anyone can participate. For a list of these workshops throughout Brooklyn and Queens, click here.

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