Press Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
For more information contact John Dodds, Philadelphia Unemployment Project 215-557-0822 ext. 102 cell 267-975-4706
80 Organizations Call on Corbett to Resume State Mortgage
A coalition of 80 housing, religious, labor, legal, Latino, women’s and social services organizations called on Governor Corbett today to restart the Homeowners Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (HEMAP) by including adequate funding for the program in the 2012-13 state budget.
HEMAP was closed as of July 1, 2011 after over 27 years of providing loans to Pennsylvania homeowners facing foreclosure due to circumstances beyond their control. Over 46,000 families have been assisted since the programs origination during the severe recession of 1983.
“Things are even worse now than when HEMAP was created,” said John Dodds,
Director of the Philadelphia Unemployment Project. “Homeowners, communities and the overall economy need help in preventing foreclosures during these hard times.”
From large state wide groups like the Pennsylvania Council of Churches and AFL-CIO to small community development corporations like SACA in Lancaster or Korean Community Development Center in Philadelphia, all called for Governor Corbett to provide funding to restart HEMAP.
Governor Corbett will announce his budget on February 7.
Fran Viglietta, Director of the Social Concerns Department of the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference said, “The Catholic Conference sincerely hopes that the Governor will restore funding for this valuable program. It has a track record of helping thousands of families save their homes. Its important to remember that this is a loan program not a grant program and it has been highly successful since its inception."