June 7, 2010
Gwinnett Nonprofit Agency to Host Foreclosure Prevention Forum

Lawrenceville, GA – The Gwinnett-based IMPACT! Group will host a day-long community foreclosure prevention forum on Monday June 7th at the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center. The event will be open to the public and include speakers from the housing counseling, legal, and financial fields.  There will be limited space for both the morning and afternoon sessions, interested homeowners and realtors are asked to register in advance at www.theimpactgroup.org.

“This forum will be one of the largest public foreclosure events held in Gwinnett County to date,” according to Tom Merkel, President of The IMPACT! Group. “We’re expecting realtors and homeowners from throughout Gwinnett and the metro Atlanta area to attend, and we hope that by the end of the day attendees who are behind on their mortgages will understand their options and be able to begin taking the first steps in regaining stability.”

The morning Realtor forum will begin at 8:30 am on June 7th with a three-hour continuing education credit seminar, offered through instructors at O’Kelley and Sorohan, LLC. The seminar will focus on short-sales and foreclosures, with a special section on how to help clients avoid foreclosure prevention scams.  Realtors who complete the session will receive three CE credits towards their re-certification.

The afternoon session for the general public and homeowners (free of charge and starting at 1 pm) will be a presentation and discussion session dealing with foreclosure assistance, loan modifications, foreclosure scams, financial education, and mortgage loans. HUD Certified IMPACT! housing counselors and representatives of the lending and legal fields will discuss homeowners’ options and there will be time for questions and answers as well as the chance for attendees to meet individually with IMPACT! housing counseling staff.

This Foreclosure Prevention Forum is part of The IMPACT! Group’s annual celebration of national NeighborWorks® Week from June 5 through 12, 2010. The IMPACT! Group is a Charter Member of NeighborWorks America. NeighborWorks America® is a congressionally-created housing and community-based agency that supports housing agencies nationwide. This year’s theme is ending foreclosure prevention scams, which can cheat homeowners out of thousands of dollars. Because Georgia has consistently ranked among the top ten states in number of foreclosed homes, Georgians have been especially susceptible to foreclosure prevention scams. In 2009 alone, The IMPACT! Group provided housing counseling and education services to over 4,800 households and expects to that number to increase to over 6,000 in 2010.

The IMPACT! Group is the proud recipient of the D. Scott Hudgens, Jr. Humanitarian Award, given each year to only one agency by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. This year’s award noted IMPACT!'s comprehensive work in homeless prevention assistance and housing development.