Leila Amirhamzeh, JD Director of Development, New Jersey Citizen - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Leila Amirhamzeh, JD Director of Development, New Jersey Citizen Action leila@njcitizenaction.org

 Rental assistance counseling  General credit counseling  First-time Homebuyer Counseling  Home Improvement Counseling  Foreclosure Prevention Counseling  General education and outreach

Counselors should:  Get a basic understanding of/familiarize yourself with common barriers to fair housing facing renters, and address these issues in counseling sessions ◦ Discrimination against families with young children ◦ Discrimination against individuals with disabilities ◦ Scams targeting tenants in foreclosed properties  Incorporate basic information on the Fair Housing Act and other protections for renters under NJ law  Help clients identify and report housing discrimination

Counselors should:  Get a basic understanding of/familiarize yourself with common barriers to fair housing facing first-time homebuyers, including: ◦ Predatory first-time homebuyer scams ◦ Predatory mortgages ◦ Other housing discrimination in financing of homes  Discrimination against pregnant women on maternity leave  Discrimination against individuals with disabilities on SSI

Counselors should:  Incorporate basic information on the Fair Housing Act and other consumer protections under NJ law ◦ New Jersey Home Owner Security Act ◦ Truth in Lending Act ◦ Consumer Fraud Act

Counselors should:  Educate first-time homebuyers on the difference between conventional, subprime and predatory mortgages  Educate first-time homebuyers on common features of high-cost or predatory mortgages  Educate clients on scams targeting first- time homebuyers  Help clients identify & report housing discrimination

Counselors should:  Get a basic understanding of/familiarize yourself with common barriers to fair housing facing homeowners and address these issues in counseling sessions ◦ Home improvement scams ◦ Debt consolidation scams ◦ High Cost loans to refinance (predatory mortgages) ◦ Foreclosure rescue scams  Incorporate basic information on the Fair Housing Act and other protections under NJ law  Help clients identify and report housing discrimination

 HUD’s Office of Fair Housing & Equal Opportunity (FHEO) enforces the Fair Housing Act  If you feel that you or someone you know may have been a victim of housing discrimination, please call FHEO on their toll-free Intake Hotline number:  1(800) 669-9777 (Nationwide)  1(800) 496-4294 (for New York or New Jersey)  TTY (800) 927-9275 (hearing impaired)  You can also visit HUD’s website: www.hud.gov

 Consu nsume mer F r Finan nancial ial Protec ection B n Burea reau ( u (CFPB) B)  (855) 411-2372  www.consumerfinance.gov  NJ J Divis isio ion n of Consu nsumer er Affairs airs  (800) 242-5846  www.njconsumeraffairs.gov  NJ Division on on Civil Rights ts  (609) 292-2918  www.NJCivilRights.org  NJ J Depart rtment ent o of Bankin nking & & Insu surance  Newark Consumer Center – (973) 648-4713  Trenton office – (800) 446-7467

NJCA is a HUD-designated Fair Housing Agency. We:  Take consumer complaints and refer them to HUD  Provide free workshops on fair housing and predatory lending to organizations in English and Spanish For more information, contact NJCA at:  (973) 643-8800  www.njcitizenaction.org