Homeownership Council Of America

Programs: Housing resource center: the city of san diego and san diego housing commission have asked hoc to establish and manage the housing resources center (hrc), which will be a one stop center for homeless, tenants, homebuyer, and homeowner sources. Hrc is located at 1100 broadway, san diego, ca 92101, corner of broadway and 11th in downtown san diego smart corner, which is easily accessible by trolley and bus.

home clinic (home owners mobile education clinic):from 2001 to 2006, housing prices in the san diego region boomed. In 2007 housing prices started to cool. Risky loans, lax underwriting standards, loan products that limit the amount of equity a borrower builds, and predatory lending practices created difficulties for homeowners. Many homeowners faced foreclosure or ballooning monthly payments they know they cannot afford. Frightened homeowners needed resources to stave off foreclosure, eviction and family chaos. Many of them experienced deceptive business and lending practices. The home clinics started in june 2007. It started as a community project to give homeowners access to legal information and resources. A homeowner receives individual counseling from a hud approved housing counseling agency. In the same location, the homeowner obtains individual review of real estate documents from a mortgage counselor. The homeowner then receives personal counseling from volunteer attorneys. The legal counseling covers information about prepayment penalties, bankruptcy, real estate violations, the foreclosure process, impending eviction, and other contract clauses. The legal counseling supplements the information given by the other counselors. The homeowner is given options and courses of action. Additionally, if criminal violations have occurred referrals to law enforcement agencies give homeowners additional relief. The home clinic offers complaint forms from the department of corporations, department of real estate, u. S. Department of housing and urban development, the san diego district attorney's office, and the city of san diego consumer protection unit. While the homeowner waits personal counseling, he/she receives group presentations on credit and budgeting, bankruptcy, and consumer protection resources. These presentations are given by hud approved housing agencies, local attorneys and judges. All counselors and volunteers agree not to solicit business at the home clinic and not to give business cards to homeowners. Homeowners are given a list of local hud approved housing counseling agencies, the san diego county bar association and lawyer referral information service, legal aid society of san diego, telephone numbers of local ethnic minority bar associations and local realtors/broker associations. San diego county bar association's property section, community service committee and ethnic relations diversity committee have all recruited volunteers for the home clinics. Volunteer attorneys receive orientation at the bar center. Myrna pascual, u. S. Department of housing and urban development, coordinates the steady stream of volunteer attorneys. The home clinic collaborated with the legal aid society pro bono program, using the same model utilized in the disastrous wild fires in san diego county in 2003 and 2007 to counsel homeowners. The current foreclosure crisis is an economic wildfire that is consuming many communities in the san diego region.

home workshop:home workshop is a 90 minute interactive presentation conducted at the end of the day of a weekday, at locations within neighborhoods and communities. The home workshop presentation is on current and needed topics for homeowners like foreclosure prevention and process, home buyer programs, bankruptcy, short sales, trustee sale, reo, tenant rights, foreclosure and real estate fraud, etc. These interactive home workshop presentations are made by expert attorneys, experienced housing counselors, honest and knowledgeable real estate professionals, and officials of governmental agencies like hud. The presentation can be multilingual depending on the needs of the geographic location of the event. Home workshop attendees have the opportunity to ask the presenter general questions related to the presentation. However, the presenter would be unable to answer questions directed to the attendee's specific situation. An attendee can however get such questions answered at home clinics. Those who attend these home workshops also get the opportunity to learn about upcoming home clinics and other programs conducted by the collaborative and its partners.