Recent changes in the mortgage market and increased sub-prime lending have
caused a seismic wave of foreclosures and credit crises in our communities.
Friends and families lose their homes, blocks become abandoned and neglected,
renters find themselves evicted through no fault of their own, the racial wealth
gap widens, and communities are left holding the bag.
Often we think that we, as individuals, are to blame for this crisis. And we think
there’s nothing we can do to make it better, beyond individual counseling and
remediation. We think the situation is beyond our influence. Once again, we are wrong.
During this symposium, we will be examining how we, as ORGANIZED
COMMUNITIES, can and should respond to the predatory lending and
foreclosure crisis. We will explore the realities behind this crisis, hear from
organizations and communities that have been making headway against it,
consider policy options that can help, and strategize about how we can tackle this
issue in our own backyards.
Come join community builders and organizers, housing counselors, outreach staff,
community residents, policy-makers, and leaders in the non-profit and for-profit
sectors as we wrestle with questions such as:
- How can we stop the loss of families and properties from our neighborhoods,
communities, cities, and small towns because of foreclosure?
- Can communities defend themselves against predatory lending practices?
- What are the best policy options that protect our communities from
predatory lending and foreclosures?
- What do we need to know to more effectively deal with this crisis?
- How can housing counselors and community organizing staff work together
most efficiently to mitigate the negative impacts of this crisis?
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