Housing Resource Fair A Success
Sacred Heart Southern Missions in cooperation with Mississippi Home Corp hosted a housing resource fair in Hernando this past Monday. Dismal weather didn’t keep hopeful home buyers and information seekers away. A steady stream of visitors made their way through the vendor booths for the four-hour event.
Bringing together available resources and making them easy to access for residents was the goal of the fair. Residents with a myriad of challenges were able to find resources at this event and visit with exhibitors at their own pace. Topics such as home buyer education, affordable mortgage products including reverse mortgages, foreclosure prevention, refinancing, first-time home buying, financial fitness, and credit/debt management erel be covered. Attendees also had the opportunity connect with vendors who could assist with legal questions as well those who provided a broad base of social services.
Julie Brooks, Miss. Home Corps assistant vice president of housing development and home ownership, was pleased with the turn out. Pointing out an attendee across the room, she said, “That lady had foreclosure and identity theft issues and was eager to get information from us. An elderly gentleman came for information on reverse mortgages. This (fair) provided a lot of helpful information for all types of situations.”
Lee Ashcraft with DeSoto County’s Habitat for Humanity, lauded the work of SHSM. “You’ve really done good work over the years,” Lee commented, citing the Dehon Village neighborhood and their collaboration with us in the late 90s. Habitat’s housing work is equally impressive. They will hold a ribbon cutting in mid-December for the construction of their 25th home in since 1992.
Many key organizations were on hand at the resource fair, including: Sacred Heart Southern Missions (housing and social services divisions); Mississippi Home Corp; Hope Credit Union; North Miss. Rural Legal Services, Fairway Mortgage; First Security Bank; Crye-Like Realtors; City Realty; Neighborhood Assistance Corp. of America; Miss. Center for Justice; USDA; H.E.E.D.; Habitat for Humanity; Healthy Transitions Development Group; and Community Mortgage.
