|
|
|
||||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
City Page for March 2008
Help is available for Phoenix homeowners
Help is available for Phoenix homeowners
Phoenix homeowners who are struggling to keep up with increases in their adjustable mortgage rates or who are facing possible foreclosure on their homes now have help available.The city's Housing Department and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development say homeowners can get assistance from several government agencies and private organizations.
In Arizona, more than 24,000 loans - many of them in Phoenix - were either in foreclosure or seriously delinquent toward the end of last year and industry experts are predicting that one in five sub-prime loans is likely to end in foreclosure.
The following could help people save their homes:
- FHASecure gives credit-worthy homeowners who are now in default a second chance with a FHA insured loan. To qualify, homeowners must have a non-FHA insured adjustable rate mortgage or ARM that has reset, sufficient income to make the payments, and a history of on-time payments before the loan reset. To apply, visit www.fha.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FHA (225-5342) for more information.
- HOPE NOW provides information and resources to distressed homeowners. English- and Spanish-speaking counselors can be reached at 1-888-995-HOPE (4673) and more information is available at hopenow.com.
- Local Phoenix housing counseling agencies also are available to explore options. Included are: Arizona ACORN, 602-253-1111 or acornhousing.org; Chicanos Por La Causa, 602-253-0838 or cplc.org; Community Housing Resources of Arizona, 602-631-9780 or communityhousingresources.org; and Neighborhood Housing Services of Phoenix 602-258-1659 or nhsphoenix.org.
City joins Earth Hour campaign
Phoenix is joining other cities from across the globe to promote sustainable practices by participating in Earth Hour on Saturday, March 29.On this day, residents and businesses in Phoenix are encouraged to turn off their non-essential lights from 8 to 9 p.m. to demonstrate how people working together can make a positive impact on the environment.
City Hall and the Calvin C. Goode Building downtown are among city government buildings that will go dark for that hour. However, the city will not turn off essential lights that are necessary for public safety and will encourage residents and businesses to do the same.
Phoenix is one of four U.S. cities partnering with the World Wildlife Fund in the effort. Chicago, Atlanta and San Francisco are the others.
Earth Hour is modeled after a successful event that took place in Sydney, Australia last year that achieved a 10.2 percent drop in energy use for that hour - equivalent to taking 48,000 cars off the road for an hour. For more information or to join the effort, visit www.earthhour.org.
Salute to women vets
The public is invited to join Mayor Phil Gordon and the Phoenix Military Veterans Commission at City Hall, 200 W. Washington St., from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, for the fifth annual Salute to Veterans. The event will pay tribute to Phoenix's women veterans who served in the Armed Forces from WWII to present day.
City targets weeds, brush, debris
The Fire, Public Works and Neighborhood Services departments are teaming up again this year in a campaign to reduce the number of weed, brush and debris fires in neighborhoods.Firefighters next month will begin surveying neighborhoods for brush and debris fire hazards and forwarding the location of possible violations to the Public Works and Neighborhood Services departments for city code compliance.
The city requires that property owners keep lots, properties, alleys and easements free from litter, garbage, overgrown vegetation, dead trees, brush, weeds and other conditions that present health, fire or safety hazards.
Check out library book sale
More than 200,000 books, videos, CDs, DVDs and magazines priced at $2 or less will be on sale at the Friends of the Public Library book sale next month.Proceeds from the annual sale, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 26, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 27, at the library warehouse, 1330 N. 29th Drive, will be used to support the Phoenix Public Library.
On Sunday, all merchandise will be one-half off.
For more information, visit www.plfriends.org.
Get your bike in gear
It's time to check out your bike and get it ready for the road.Valley Metro and its city partners will celebrate Valley Bike Month in April with several special events.
Among them is Bike-a-Polooza, a free bicycler's expo and safety fair featuring bicycles and parts for sale or trade, a 13-mile community ride, obstacle-course training for kids, and demonstrations about how to load your bike on the bus for commuting. It will be held from 7 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 5, in Tempe at Kiwanis Park, 6111 S. All American Way.
Also, the Great Bike Chase - a three-mile ride to see the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres play baseball at Chase Field - will be Sunday, April 20. Riders will meet at Margaret T. Hance Park, 1134 N. Central Ave., between 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. and the ride will begin at 11 a.m. The cost is $16, which includes a game ticket.
For more information, visit ValleyMetro.org or call 602-262-7433 (RIDE). The Web site also contains a complete list of the month's Bike Week activities.
Library fines help feed needy
You can make good on your library fines next month and help restock the pantries of Valley food banks.During Phoenix Public Library's annual "Food for Fines" program April 13 - 26, 50 cents will be deducted from your overdue book fines for each non-perishable food item (homemade food cannot be accepted) you donate at any of the 15 libraries.
The donated food will be distributed to St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance and Desert Mission Food Bank. For more information, visit phoenixpubliclibrary.org or call 602-262-4636.
| phoenix.gov en espaņol
| Back
| Contact Us
| Accessibility
| Privacy Policy
| Security
| Help
|
© Copyright 2008, City of Phoenix