Smith Reynolds Foundation supports fight against predatory
lending
January 22, 2007 MEDIA RELEASE
(Raleigh, NC) – The Z. Smith
Reynolds Foundation announced a new grant award of $300,000 to
Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) in support of its efforts to
combat predatory lending and help working families save their homes
from foreclosure.
The grant provides funding for the Fair Lending and Home Defense
Project (FLHDP), which is a collaboration of seven nonprofit
organizations: Legal Aid of North Carolina, the NC Justice Center,
the Legal Aid Society of Northwest NC, Legal Services of Southern
Piedmont, Pisgah legal Services, the Financial Protection Center and
the NC Housing Coalition.
The project is the merger of the Foundation’s two previous grants
over the past three years to Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC) and
the NC Justice Center (Justice Center) into one unified effort and
additional partners for this statewide effort. The project will
bring focused attention on particular issues identified by the
partners’ previous work, using a combination of litigation,
legislative, research, community engagement and media strategies.
LANC will use practice resources to continue to build its capacity
to combat foreclosure primarily in the eastern part of the state and
in the western areas outside of the aegis of its project partners.
The Legal Aid Society of Northwest NC will focus on the
Winston-Salem area; Legal Services of Southern Piedmont will focus
on the Charlotte area; and Pisgah Legal Services will focus on the
Asheville area.
In addition, the Justice Center and the Financial Protection Law
Center will review and provide litigation support n advance cases.
The Justice Center will also coordinate training and implementation
of best practices, tactics and strategies for the individual cases,
which include predatory lending, foreclosure, fair housing and
deceptive trade practice defenses, as well as the option for
bankruptcy. The NC Housing Coalition will provide outreach and
education in support of the project by holding community forums with
other legal partners to educate consumers, link them with legal
advocates and engage community members in policy discussions related
to fair lending.
“The continued financial support of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation
has been critical to this vital, legal services project,” said
George Hausen, LANC’s executive director. “Foreclosures in North
Carolina are up nearly 200% over the past few years, and the
Foundation’s enlightened understanding of the problem and its scope
has resulted in our ability to expand our response to help hundreds
more families and to leverage the interest and financial support of
other critical players."
The Z. Smith
Reynolds Foundation was established in 1936 and has given more
than $366 million in grants to projects in all 100 North Carolina
counties. The Foundation now gives special attention to the
following focus areas – community economic development; democracy
and civic engagement; environment; pre-collegiate education; and
social justice and equity.
Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC)
is a statewide, nonprofit law firm that provides free legal services
in civil matters to eligible, low-income people in all 100 counties
in North Carolina through 24, geographically located offices in
North Carolina. LANC’s clients typically have an annual income of
125% or less of the federally established poverty levels.
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CONTACTS:
George R. Hausen, Jr. (Executive Director, Legal Aid of North
Carolina, Raleigh, NC) 919-856-2564
Dock Kornegay (Director, Public Relations & Development, Legal Aid
of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC) 919-856-2564
__________________
ATTACHMENT:
Partners - 2007 Fair Lending and Home Defense Project
The Fair Lending and Home Defense Project (FLHDP) promotes the
financial stability of low-income working families and seniors by
improving financial literacy; preserves home ownership and home
equity defending foreclosures; and stops predatory practices that
destabilize communities and reduce wealth. The implementation of the
FLHDP includes participation by seven partnering organizations in
North Carolina:
Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC)
is a statewide, nonprofit law firm that provides free legal services
in civil matters to low-income people in order to ensure equal
access to justice and to remove barriers to economic opportunity.
LANC has an administrative office in Raleigh and has 24 field
offices across North Carolina.
NC Justice
Center (Justice Center)
is nonprofit anti-poverty organization whose mission is to reduce
and eliminate poverty in North Carolina by helping to ensure that
every North Carolina household gains access to the resources,
services and fair treatment that it needs in order to enjoy economic
security. The Justice Center’s office is located in Raleigh.
Legal Aid Society of NW NC (LASNNC) is a nonprofit organization
whose mission is provide equal access to the civil justice system
for the low-income residents of its service area. The LASNNC
office is located in Winston-Salem.
Legal Services of
Southern Piedmont (LSSP) is a nonprofit organization that
provides legal assistance in civil matters to low-income persons in
the Charlotte area and in west-central North Carolina. The
LSSP office is located in Charlotte.
Pisgah Legal
Services (PLS) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to
provide high-quality, effective legal services to help low-income
people meet basic needs; to ensure equal justice for all; and to
advance and protect the legal rights of low-income people. The PLS
office is located in Asheville.
Financial Protection Law Center (FPLC) is a nonprofit law firm that
advocates against predatory lending practices throughout North
Carolina. The FPLC office is located in Durham.
NC Housing
Coalition is a statewide, nonprofit organization whose mission
is to lead a campaign for housing to ensure that working families,
people in crisis, seniors, and persons with disabilities may live
with dignity and opportunity.
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Mission Statement
Legal Aid of North Carolina is a statewide, nonprofit law firm that
provides free legal services in civil matters to low-income people in
order to ensure equal access to justice and to remove legal barriers
to economic opportunity.