NEWS
Our offices are open for business as usual. Thank you.
WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS FORECLOSURE PREVENTION CENTER NOW OPEN
HAP, Inc. is pleased to announce the opening of a regional center to help homeowners who are having trouble making mortgage payments. The City of Springfield, the Massachusetts Fair Housing Center and fifteen nonprofit agencies in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire Counties are working together to provide free, confidential counseling services to anyone facing possible mortgage foreclosure.
If you are having trouble making mortgage payments, please don't wait. Call now. 413-233-1622 or visit thereshopewmass.org
NEW DATE FOR FAIR HOUSING CONFERENCE
10 AM to 4 PM
Western New England College School of Law, Springfield
This conference commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act and features workshops on fair housing enforcement, predatory lending, reasonable accommodation, accessibility and construction, zoning, and litigation issues.
Sponsored by HAP, Inc., the Massachusetts Fair Housing Center, and the Legislative Institute of Western New England College School of Law under a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Please contact jfisher@haphousing.org or call the Massachusetts Fair Housing Center at 413-539-9796 for more information.
SAVE THE DATE FOR HAP'S 35TH ANNIVERSARY DINNER
Please plan to join us on Thursday, November 20, 2008 to celebate HAP's 35th anniversary at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield. Social hour at 5:30 with dinner and presentation of awards at 7:00 PM. If you've attended in the past, you know that this is a premiere networking event for those involved in affordable housing, community development, and neighborhood revitalization. For more information, please contact Carol Walker at 413-233-1668 or cwalker@haphousing.org.
AFFORDABLE HOMES FOR SALE
HAP, Inc., the region’s housing partnership, is a non-profit that provides services and programs to homebuyers including first-time homebuyer counseling and education, down payment and closing cost assistance, credit counseling and affordable homeownership opportunities. HAP will work with you to ensure that you find a home you love and a mortgage you can afford!
For more information, contact Debi McPartlan at HAP, Inc. at 413-233-1731 or dmcpartlan@haphousing.org.
BE READY TO BUY YOUR OWN HOME -- TAKE HAP'S HOMEBUYER EDUCATION COURSE
Dreaming of owning your own home?
It's never too early to begin planning. A series of classes presented by HAP will cover all aspects of buying a home. Specifically designed for first-time homebuyers, the course is certified by the Massachusetts Homeownership Collaborative, Massachusetts Housing Partnership Fund, and MassHousing. Completion of the course is required to qualify for certain affordable financing products, such as the Massachusetts Housing Partnership’s Soft Second Loan Program.
Next Sessions:
- Wednesdays, November 5, 12, and 19, 2008 from 5:30 to 8:30 PM at Square One, 255 King Street, Springfield, MA sponsored by Hampden Bank
- Saturdays, October 25 and November 1, 2008 from 9:00 AM to 1:30 PM at HAP, Inc.'s Conference Center, 534 East Columbus Avenue (our space is at the corner of Mill and Main Streets, about a block south of the HAP main office), Springfield.sponsored by Webster Bank
Space is limited and pre-registration, including a $10.00 non-refundable registration fee, is required. Please call 413-233-1616 or 1-800-332-9667, ext. 1616.
HOME MODIFICATION LOANS AVAILABLE
Loans (some with deferred payments) of up to $30,000 are available to make access modifications for individuals with disabilities. Homeowners can apply to HAP, the Region’s Housing Partnership, for funds to construct ramps or make modifications to their bathrooms, kitchens or other rooms to allow people to safely remain in their homes. These funds are available to homeowners in Springfield, Agawam, W. Springfield, Chicopee, Holyoke, Northampton, and Westfield.
Please call 413-233-1612 for more information.
BASICS OF RENTAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
From 9 AM to 2 PM on Saturday, November 8, 2008 at HAP, Inc.'s Conference Center, 534 East Columbus Avenue (our space is at the corner of Mill and Main Streets, about a block south of the HAP main office) Springfield.
Certificates of completion are awarded at the end of the session; this workshop satisfies the course requirement for first-time buyers of multi-family homes.
HAP's Property Management Manual for Massachusetts Rental Owners , a comprehensive guide to all aspects of residential property management is available for $34.95. Contains a wide variety of sample forms and letters as well as up-to-date information on the Massachusetts laws governing rental property.
Fee is $45. Please call 413-233-1560 to register.
If it weren't for HAP, and all of the programs they have, I don't know where I would be - maybe still paying rent and struggling. - Evelyn Fernandez
Evelyn Fernandez first came to HAP from a domestic violence shelter and lived in our transitional housing program until she was able to move on to an apartment of her own. Working as a security guard at MassMutual, she was doing fine until her landlord raised the rent. Evelyn then came back to HAP hoping for some help with her increased rent.
Evelyn never expected to hear that she might be able to purchase her own home. She couldn’t believe it and asked, “Is this too good to be true?”
She soon found out that with lots of hard work she could pursue this dream. Evelyn’s homebuyer counselor helped her repair her credit. “I paid a bill every week and called HAP every day.” With her credit improved, she qualified for a mortgage. In April, Evelyn became HAP’s first homebuyer in the Old Hill neighborhood revitalization initiative.
Evelyn and her four children live in a yellow and white 3-bedroom house on Pendleton Avenue. Evelyn loves that her extended family visits nearly everyday to talk, play in the backyard, and have a barbeque.
“If it weren’t for HAP, this wouldn’t be me right now sitting on my couch in my home, my kids’ home. This is the best feeling ever.”
Over the last year HAP provided homebuyer education to over 800 people and helped 230 families buy their first home. HAP also helped people like Evelyn move away from domestic violence to safe apartments and better lives for their children.
HAP helps many people like Evelyn change their lives, find better housing, pursue their goals of better education and better jobs. Some eventually become homeowners. But, HAP needs your support to make all of this happen. HAP needs you. Your gift makes dramatic and lasting change in the lives of people like Evelyn and her kids. Please consider giving your own personal gift to HAP this December.
Thank you!
To read more success stories and learn more about HAP, please call Sarah Page at 413-233-1727 for a copy of HAP's annual report.
HAP, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and your contribution is tax-deductible.
TOTALLY REVISED PROPERTY MANAGEMENT MANUAL AVAILABLE
The how-to book that even seasoned landlords use as their best reference is now available. This practical guide covers all aspects of property law and practice, including
- what constitutes a tenancy
- how to select tenants
- fair housing issues
- choosing between a lease and a rental agreement
- how to handle security deposits, last month's rents and other monies
- code issues
- lead paint and other hazards
- subsidy programs
- dealing with your tenant
- record keeping
- tenants' rights
- the eviction process
For those who have used the HAP manual before, this new edition has extensive updates, ranging from lead compliance laws, lease clauses and new regulations to ready-to-use forms in print and on CD. It also includes the complete text of important rental housing regulations and a chapter-by-chapter study guide.
To order a copy at $34.95 each, email landlordbook@haphousing.org or call 413-233-1612.
updated October 14, 2008
