Milestones
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In This Special Edition: |
Executive Director Comments
Dear Friend,
This is the time of year that we take time to thankyou for your past, present (and future) support. If you have not made a donation to support the work of Housing Rights, Inc. yet, this year, please consider making one now. There is a link to our online donation site above. You may also donate through our website (www.housingrights.org). Your donation will support the work of our staff and volunteers. Work such as:
Housing Rights Advocacy. We investigate complaints of housing discrimination as well as help tenants and landlords resolve conflicts. We provide this service to 3 thousand families a year. And new this year, sadly, we are providing foreclosure counseling to families devastated by loans that they cannot afford and a housing market that has closed its doors to them.
Lawyer Referral Service. We process over 100 potential referrals per year with the help of law students and work-study students from UC Berkeley. Twenty percent are sent on to our wonderful panel of attorneys. Last December a predatory lending case was settled which resulted in over $100,000 in attorney fees (the settlement is confidential). This year Bob Salinas of Sundeen Salinas and Pyle and Phil Rapier settled a case for $520,ooo that provided some justice to 15 households who were subjected to racial discrimination in a Mobile Home Park in Contra Costa County.
Housing Opportunity Program. We are proud to announce that we opened the Mt. Diablo Housing Opportunity Center with the generous support of the City of Concord and Wells Fargo. This Center, located in the Monument Corridor community in Concord is co-located with Concord Community Economic Development Organization (dba Monument Futures). As a HUD certified housing counseling agency the Center affords us access to a whole new population of low income persons…homebuyers and homeowners.
These are tuff times. There is no other way to say it. Our work is cut out for us. Your support is what keeps us going. Check out our activities at one of our websites: www.housingrights.org, www.mtdhoc.org, www.wcccdbt.org, www.rentersrights.info, and new this next year, we’ll let you know when: www.derechosdevivienda.org!
With great appreciation and on behalf of the Board, Staff and Volunteers of Housing Rights, Inc.
Thank you.
Congratulations Bonnie Davidson
Bonnie recieved the first Helen Lima Standing Tall Award on June 24th. Members of Helen's family and old fellow campaigners of Helen's and Bonnie's gathered to reminisce, eat good food and enjoy each other's company.
Bonnie lives at Strawberry Creek Lodge (as Helen did when she began her Section 8 Housing Advocacy) She worked with Helen for several years and as Helen 'slowed down' (went from a 150% to 100%!!) she stepped up to plan a major signature gathering event that included the efforts of Strawberry Creek Lodge Legislative Committee members, St. Mary's Center in Oakland and Allen Temple, also in Oakland and culminated in the presentation of thousands of signatures to Congresswoman Barbara Lee at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Bonnie is known for her perisistence and attention to detail and has challenged those around her to 'stand up and stand tall'.
Congratulation Bonnie!
To find out more about Helen Lima go to our website: www.housingrights.com/whatsnew/HelenLimaStandingTallAward.htm.
Mini-Opening: Mt Diablo Housing Opportunity Center
WE'RE OPEN!! On July 3rd, the Mt. Diablo Housing Opportunity Center opened. We are co-located with Monument Futures at 2699 Monument Blvd. #G in Concord. Our hours of operation are 12:30 to 4:30 Tuesday through Friday. If you are seeking services you may reach us at: 866-469-0133. For other information contact Wanda Remmers at 510-548-8776. If you would like to join our steering committee contact Nathan Ellis at: Nathan.Ellis@gmacm.com
The mission of The Mount Diablo Housing Opportunity Center is...
To provide Contra Costa County residents with a higher quality of life by acting as the central resource for all housing needs and education including:
- First Time Home Buyer (FTHB) Education and Resources
- Foreclosure Counseling and Home Preservation Education
- Senior Housing Counseling and Education
- Landlord and Renter Resources
We will be posting our activities on a new website: www.mtdhoc.org. Look for that website to be operational in September as well. In the meantime call us and we'll sign you up for our homeownership, foreclosure prevention, tenant/landlord and fair housing services.
Look for our GRAND opening in September!
HRI Around Town
You will find HRI staff at the following locations!
July 4th Berkeley Marina Festival
July 3 and 17 - Attorney Counseling Evening: at the Contra Costa offices of Bay Area Legal Aid (1025 Macdonald Ave in Richmond) from 6 to 8 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month and in Concord at Monument Futures (2699 Monument Blvd #G) on the third Tuesday of each month. The events are co-sponsored with Bay Area Legal Aid and the Contra Costa County Bar Association.
July 17, Loan Document Review Clinic at the City of Richmond Public Library from 6 to 8 p.m. This event is sponsored by the West Contra Costa County Don't Borrow Trouble Campain. HRI is a proud member of that campaign.
August 7 and 21 - Attorney Counseling Evening: at the Contra Costa offices of Bay Area Legal Aid (1025 Macdonald Ave in Richmond) from 6 to 8 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month and in Concord at Monument Futures (2699 Monument Blvd #G) on the third Tuesday of each month. The events are co-sponsored with Bay Area Legal Aid and the Contra Costa County Bar Association.
July 19, City of Richmnd, It Takes A Village...community fair. Parking lot at 1401 Marina Way South, Richmond.
August 8 , Loan Document Review Clinic at the City of Richmond Public Library from 6 to 8 p.m. This event is sponsored by the West Contra Costa County Don't Borrow Trouble Campain. HRI is a proud member of that campaign.
August 25th, San Pablo Park's Centennial Celebration, Berkeley
September 9th, Solano Stroll, Albany
For more information about our activities check out our website: www.housingrights.org/whatsnew/calendar.htm
Stomp Out Discrimination
Join us in “stomping” out discrimination
until difference no longer makes a difference
in a world where every child is smiling….
- Free from hunger
- Free from harm
- Free from homelessness
- Free from hate
Housing Rights, Inc. was founded in 1979 by a law student who could not find housing because she had young children. We are committed to seeing that that does not happened to others. Join us in fighting to uphold the ‘housing rights’ of everyone.
Our Goals with your help, are to eliminate discrimination in housing, prevent evictions/foreclosures and encourage diversity in our communities. We do this by assisting tenants and landlord, homeowners and housing providers to understand their rights and responsibilities and resolve problems, so that EVERYONE will have a real opportunity to live in decent, affordable housing wherever it may be located.
Your support will make it possible to keep our housing rights counseling services free to all who call...renters, homeowners, landlords and others for ANOTHER 25 YEARS!
Donations of time money and goods are welcome. If you want to combine your passion for recycling with supporting Housing Rights, Inc. bring us your used printer cartridges! HRI is recycling cartridges. (We receive a fee for each cartridge!
We are also collecting BART cards. BART will pay is the leftover amount on the cards. Each .05 or .10 adds up!Visit our website to learn more about how to donate to Housing Rights, Inc.: http://housingrights.org/joinourteam/donate.htm
Announcements
Many thanks to Benita Harris, long time board member for her years of service (sometimes as Board President!). Benita left the board in June. As did Phil Lawson. Thank you Phil for your time on the Board. Both of them will be missed.
We would also like to thank Chris Kypreos for his contribution to Housing Rights, Inc. in the capacity of law student intern. Chris has made an amazing contribution to our agency through his hard work. As Chris leaves Jean Ellis is joining us thru August. Jean just finished up her first year of law school at the Wake Forest University School of Law in North Carolina. Chris attends the University of Michigan.
Florence Davis who has been our part-time Test Coordinator has just joined us full time as our Fair Housing Specialist. Florence's extension is 309 if you would like to give her a call.
We are looking for someone to fill our Center Coordinator position at our Concord site (Mt Diablo Housing Opporunity Center). Click this link for a job annoucement.
| MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to fight for equal access to housing for everyone
by eliminating barriers to housing choice such as discrimination,
sub-standard housing, ignorance, apathy and malice in order to
eradicate illegal housing discrimination, prevent evictions/foreclosures
and encourage diversity in our neighborhoods. |
