The Pima County Housing Center is warning homeowners who are hoping to get help from last month’s $25 billion National Mortgage Settlement that numerous scams claiming to be connected to the settlement are already being reported.

To avoid becoming a victim of a foreclosure scam, consider these tips from Money Management International, a nonprofit credit-counseling agency.

• There is no fee involved in the National Mortgage Settlement. If you are contacted in any way by someone asking for money in return for a speedy settlement payment, they are scamming you.
• Don’t panic. Mortgage scams are effective because the scammer is able to exploit the fear of a person who is in a desperate, vulnerable state. Don’t let fear cause you to make irrational decisions.
• Never act under pressure. Don’t sign a contract or disclose information before doing your research. You can always request to receive any information in writing.
• Trust your gut. If someone is offering you something that sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• Stay informed. Make sure you obtain detailed information about your foreclosure deadlines. If you want to know if you qualify under the Settlement, contact your bank or loan servicer directly.
• Don’t release any personal financial information. If you are contacted by someone who claims to be from your financial institution and wants you to “confirm” or help them identify your personal account information, it is likely a scam. Rather than releasing information, ask for their contact information and tell them you’re going to call them back.

Call Don’t Borrow Trouble at 792-3087 or the Housing Center at 624-2947.  You can also stop by the housing center at 801 W. Congress between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Pima County Housing Center and its partners:

• Provide resources, information, counseling, classes, computers, and workshops to help first-time homebuyers and other Pima County residents purchase, repair and make their homes more energy efficient; find affordable rentals; improve their credit; and save and manage their money.
• Help homeowners with mortgage modification and foreclosure prevention or recovery.
• Assist individuals and families who have been victims of fraud and rescue scams.
• Help individuals obtain emergency rent, mortgage and utility assistance.

Are you looking for an affordable home to buy in Pima County?

Pima County is partnering with the City of Tucson and seven local nonprofits to make energy-efficient new and existing homes available and affordable with the help of $22 million in federal stimulus funds that Pima County received in 2010.

Low- to moderate-income individuals and families may qualify for $8,000 in down payment assistance to buy a foreclosed and vacant home in an area south of 22^nd Street.

Prospective homebuyers can find out more about the homes and the programs aimed at making them affordable at the Pima Neighborhood Investment Partnership Open House on Saturday, March 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 3810 S. Evans Blvd., Suite 130 (southeast of Ajo Way and Park Avenue).

Housing counselors and lenders will be available, along with refreshments and prizes.

Find out more about:

• The $8,000 Homebuyer Assistance Program available through the Community Investment Corporation.
• New, energy-efficient homes in three subdivisions — Corazon del Pueblo, one mile east of the Interstate 10/Craycroft Road interchange; Sunnyside Pointe, on South Park Avenue between East Irvington and East Drexel roads; and Liberty Corners, near South Liberty Avenue and West Iowa Street – being built by Habitat for Humanity Tucson, Old Pueblo Community Services and Chicanos Por La Causa, respectively.
• Rehabilitated and energy-efficient foreclosed homes with low mortgages (80 percent of appraised value) and only $1,500 out of pocket through Pima County Community Land Trust.
• Rehabilitated foreclosed homes and energy-efficient manufactured houses in the City of South Tucson available through Primavera Foundation.

For more information about the partners and their programs, call 520-243-4663 or go to the Pima Neighborhood Investment Partnership website: www.pnip.org.

Get smarter about money.  Teens, what do you need to know about credit cards or buying a car?  Adults, find out how to save your home or repair your credit.  Kids, listen to stories and learn about spending and saving.

Pima County Public Library is partnering with the American Library Association and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago to present a series of Money Smart Week programs at Pima County Public Library branches from April 11 to April 28.

Come and learn about the resources, programs, and services available in Pima County.  There are workshops for everyone, from children to adults and covering topics including reading credit reports, financial survival, and fair housing information. We’ll have Story Times for the kids, Creating Duct Tape Wallets for the crafty, and Coupon Club for the thrifty!  No reservations are required.

Other event partners are Debbi Jasperson’s Coupon Club, The Credit Wise Cats, Financial Education Collaborative of Southern Arizona, Southwest Fair Housing Council, Hughes Federal Credit Union, and the Pima County Housing Center.

For more information, including events as they are added to the week’s activities, please visit http://www.library.pima.gov or call 520-791-4010.

Money Smart Week schedule of events

Wednesday, April 11
Pimp my Ride for Teens: Buying Cars Responsibly
and
Crafting Duct Tape Wallets
4-5:30 p.m.
Wheeler Taft Abbett Sr. Branch Library, 7800 N. Schisler Drive, Marana

Saturday, April 21
Debbi Jasperson’s Coupon Club
2-4 p.m.
Sahuarita Branch Library, 725 W. Via Rancho Sahuarita, Sahuarita

Renter’s Toolbox (Southwest Fair Housing Council)
3:30-4:30 p.m.
Valencia Branch Library, 202 W. Valencia Road

Tuesday, April 24
Storytime for children with money theme
9:30 a.m.
Flowing Wells Branch Library, 1730 W. Wetmore Road

Identity Theft with Credit Wise Cats for adults and teens
3 p.m.
Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center, 1660 W. Ruthrauff Road

Wednesday, April 25
Loan Modification with Family Housing Resources
10-11 a.m. and noon-1 p.m.
Martha Cooper Branch Library, 1377 N. Catalina Ave.

Hughes Federal Credit Union Savings Presentation for tweens and teens
3 p.m.
Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center, 1660 W. Ruthrauff Road

Crafting Duct Tape Wallets for tweens and teens
3:30-5 p.m.
Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center, 1660 W. Ruthrauff Road

Financial Fitness with Old Pueblo Community Services
6-8 p.m.
Woods Memorial Branch Library, 3455 N. First Ave.

Thursday, April 26
Preschool Storytime & Craft with money theme
10:15 a.m.
Flowing Wells Branch Library, 1730 W. Wetmore Road

Credit Card presentation by Credit Wise Cats for adults and teens
3 p.m.
Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center, 1660 W. Ruthrauff Road

Debbi Jasperson’s Coupon Club
6-8 p.m.
Martha Cooper Branch Library, 1377 N. Catalina Ave.

Saturday, April 28
Debbi Jasperson’s Coupon Club
10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Dusenberry-River Branch Library, 5605 E. River Road

Credit Reports/Credit Repair with Cheri Horbacz
3-4:30 p.m.
Joel D. Valdez Main Library, 101 N. Stone Ave.

Get down payment assistance; attend March 24 open house

Are you looking for an affordable home to buy in Pima County?

Low- to moderate-income individuals and families may qualify for $8,000 in down payment assistance to buy a foreclosed and vacant home in an area south of 22^nd Street (see attached map).

Pima County is partnering with the City of Tucson and seven local nonprofits to make energy-efficient new and existing homes available and affordable with the help of $22 million in federal stimulus funds that Pima County received in 2010.

Prospective homebuyers can find out more about the homes and the programs aimed at making them affordable at the Pima Neighborhood Investment Partnership Open House on Saturday, March 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 3810 S. Evans Blvd., Suite 130 (southeast of Ajo Way and Park Avenue).

Housing counselors and lenders will be available, along with refreshments and prizes.

Find out more about:

• the $8,000 Homebuyer Assistance Program available through the Community Investment Corporation.
• new, energy-efficient homes in three subdivisions — Corazon del Pueblo, one mile east of the Interstate 10/Craycroft Road interchange; Sunnyside Pointe, on South Park Avenue between East Irvington and East Drexel roads; and Liberty Corners, near South Liberty Avenue and West Iowa Street – being built by Habitat for Humanity Tucson, Old Pueblo Community Services and Chicanos Por La Causa, respectively.
• Rehabilitated and energy-efficient foreclosed homes with low mortgages (80 percent of appraised value) and only $1,500 out of pocket through Pima County Community Land Trust.
• Rehabilitated foreclosed homes and energy-efficient manufactured houses in the City of South Tucson available through Primavera Foundation.

For more information about the partners and their programs, call 520-243-4663 or go to the Pima Neighborhood Investment Partnership website: www.pnip.org.

Pima County, Ariz. (Mar. 5, 2012) -  A new Pima County web site provides you with the tools to design “Net-Zero” energy homes, apartments, offices and retail buildings that won’t use more energy than they create.

The information can also be used to remodel a structure to save energy costs.

The website, http://www.pima.gov/netzero, has a residential section and a commercial section for apartments, retail and offices with calculators based on the City of Tucson/Pima County Net-Zero Energy Standard.

“We are pleased to have another terrific tool for helping the community reduce energy use. Energy bills are a significant portion of the cost of running a business or owning a home,” said Leslie Ethen, Director of the City of Tucson’s Office of Conservation and Sustainable Development.  “Resources like this and the City’s Green Business Certification program are ways in which we can help businesses and homeowners reduce these costs.”

Working with a few basic facts about the design of the building, such as the shape of the roof, the orientation of the building and number of stories, the website can calculate the building’s “energy budget.”

The website provides a “recipe card,” or set of energy efficiency building elements, to be incorporated in the design.

The website also has a calculator to determine the financial performance of the building.

The site is useful to homeowners, commercial builders and commercial property owners, who can use the information for new construction or for renovation of existing structures, to reduce energy costs.

Net-Zero homes and apartments can save residents money every month, said Rich Franz-Under, Pima County’s Green Building Program Manager.  A typical home owner can save between $40 and $80 a month because of significantly lower utility bills, he said.

Pima County and the City of Tucson are the first governmental jurisdictions in the nation to develop a building standard to achieve Net-Zero energy.

The City of Tucson’s Office of Conservation and Sustainable Development (OCSD) provided the funding for the project through an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Pima County Development Services, Building Safety and Sustainability made up the principal research group on the web project, with assistance from the University of Arizona College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture and Tucson Water.

Pima County led the development of a regional green-building rating system for homes in 2008. Using that knowledge, the County worked with its collaborators to develop the Net-Zero energy code.

Are you interested in buying a remodeled, energy-efficient home in Pima County but don’t think you can afford it?

The Pima County Community Land Trust can help you buy a home:

• For only $1,500 out of pocket.
• Even if you earn as little as half the area median income.
• With financial assistance that reduces your mortgage to 80 percent of the home’s appraised value.
• And contain your monthly housing costs, including utilities, to 35 percent or less of your monthly gross income.

Find out more about the Pima County Community Land Trust at an information session on Wednesday, Feb. 22, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Pima County Housing Center, 801 W. Congress St.

The Community Land Trust is also inviting the public to attend its Open House Tour of homes on Saturday, Feb. 25, from 1 to 5 p.m.

To reserve a seat at the Feb. 22 information session or to get more information, contact Maggie Tellez at (520) 837-5340 or at Maggie.Tellez@tucsonaz.gov, or visit www.pimacountycommunitylandtrust.org.

The Housing Center was established in 2011 to give Pima County residents one convenient location where they can get help to rent, buy, improve and hold onto their homes.

The Housing Center and its partners can:

• Help homeowners with mortgage modification and foreclosure prevention or recovery.
• Assist individuals and families who have been victims of fraud and rescue scams.
• Help individuals obtain emergency rent, mortgage and utility assistance.
• Provide access to resources, information, counseling, classes, computers, and workshops to help Pima County residents purchase, repair and make their homes more energy efficient; find affordable rentals; improve their credit; and save and manage their money.

For more information, call the Pima County Housing Center at 624-2947 or stop by between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Are you interested in buying a remodeled, energy-efficient home in Pima County but don’t think you can afford it?

The Pima County Community Land Trust can help you buy a home:

• For only $1,500 out of pocket.
• Even if you earn as little as half the area median income.
• With financial assistance that reduces your mortgage to 80 percent of the home’s appraised value.
• And contain your monthly housing costs, including utilities, to 35 percent or less of your monthly gross income.

Find out more about the Pima County Community Land Trust at an information session on Thursday, Jan. 26, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Pima County Housing Center, 801 W. Congress St.

The Community Land Trust is also inviting the public to attend its Open House Tour of 12 homes on Saturday, Jan. 28, from noon to 5 p.m.  (See list below.)  Register for door prizes at each location; the more homes you visit, the better your chances of winning.

To reserve a seat at the Jan. 26 information session or to get more information, contact Maggie Tellez at (520) 837-5340 or at Maggie.Tellez@tucsonaz.gov, or visit www.pimacountycommunitylandtrust.org.

The Housing Center was established in 2011 to give Pima County residents one convenient location where they can get help to rent, buy, improve and hold onto their homes.

The Housing Center and its partners can:

• Help homeowners with mortgage modification and foreclosure prevention or recovery.
• Assist individuals and families who have been victims of fraud and rescue scams.
• Help individuals obtain emergency rent, mortgage and utility assistance.
• Provide access to resources, information, counseling, classes, computers, and workshops to help Pima County residents purchase, repair and make their homes more energy efficient; find affordable rentals; improve their credit; and save and manage their money.

For more information, call the Pima County Housing Center at 624-2947 or stop by between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Habitat for Humanity Tucson, Old Pueblo Community Services y Chicanos Por La Causa están construyendo 61 casas accesibles y eficientes en el consumo de energía en tres subdivisiones del área afectada.  Corazon del Pueblo, una milla al Este del intercambio de la Interestatal 10 y Craycroft Road; Sunnyside Pointe, al Sur de la Avenida Park entre el Este de la Calle Irvington y el Este de la calle Drexel; y en Liberty Corners, cerca del Sur de la Avenida Liberty y al Oeste de la Calle Iowa, respectivamente.

Primavera Foundation, Family Housing Resources, Southern Arizona Land Trust y PCCLT está comprando y mejorando viviendas de familia y propiedades multi-familia para la venta o renta a familias de bajo a mediano ingreso.  El trabajo de Primavera está enfocado en el Sur de Tucson.

Comuníquese con PNIP al 295-2925 para más información.

Are you looking for an affordable home to buy or rent in Pima County?

Pima County is partnering with the City of Tucson and seven local nonprofits to stabilize neighborhoods by turning vacant, foreclosed properties into owner- or tenant-occupied, energy-efficient homes.

A range of traditional and innovative programs, aimed at reducing the number of vacant properties in a South Side area hard hit by foreclosures, is made possible by $22 million in federal stimulus funds that Pima County received in 2010.

More information about the partners and their programs can be found at the Pima Neighborhood Investment Partnership website: www.pnip.org.

One program was so successful that 101 individuals and families are already living in homes they are buying – and making their neighborhoods better.

Each household received down payment assistance.  These new homeowners were educated and screened by one of four nonprofit housing counseling partners to ensure they could handle their long-term financial responsibility.

“This is where we will build our memories and we are having a blast painting and fixing things up,” one of the new homeowners said.  “Our mortgage payment is actually lower than what we were paying in rent so there is a lot of relief in the financial sense that we know we can afford this and that even with emergencies and unexpected bills we can manage.”

A relatively new concept in Southern Arizona that has been successful elsewhere reduces the inventory of vacant, foreclosed homes; makes homeownership more affordable; and helps low-income families build equity.  Through the Pima County Community Land Trust (PCCLT), foreclosed homes are rehabilitated and made more energy efficient and sold to lower-income individuals and families, who lease the land the home is on for a low monthly fee.  The sale and lease are set up to contain buyers’ total monthly housing costs, including utilities, to 35 percent or less of their monthly gross income.

Habitat for Humanity Tucson, Old Pueblo Community Services and Chicanos Por La Causa are building 61 energy-efficient, affordable homes in three “stalled” subdivisions in the target area – Corazon del Pueblo, one mile east of the Interstate 10/Craycroft Road interchange; Sunnyside Pointe, on South Park Avenue between East Irvington and East Drexel roads; and Liberty Corners, near South Liberty Avenue and West Iowa Street, respectively.

Primavera Foundation, Family Housing Resources, Southern Arizona Land Trust and PCCLT are buying and improving single-family homes and multi-family properties for sale or rent to low- to medium-income households.  Primavera’s PNIP work is focused in South Tucson.

Contact PNIP at 295-2925 for more information.

Pima County, Arizona – Pima County residents will be able to apply next week to rent safe, decent and affordable housing through the City of Tucson/Pima County Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.

The Housing Choice Voucher program provides rental assistance to more than 4,000 households in the greater Pima County area.

Eligibility for the Housing Choice Voucher program is based on household income.  The eligible household must qualify as “Extremely Low Income,” which is defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as 30 percent of the Area Median Income.  Applicants are screened for criminal background history.

The voucher covers a portion of the rent and the tenant is expected to pay the balance.  The tenant share is generally calculated to be between 30 to 40 percent of the monthly adjusted gross income for rent and utilities.

The Section 8 Waiting List will open using a lottery system to ensure that everyone who submits an application within the appropriate timeframe will have an equal opportunity for placement on the list.  The application period runs from Tuesday, Dec. 13, through Thursday, Dec. 15.  Once all applications are received, a waiting list number will be assigned to each application using a lottery-based system.

Applications will be available online at http://web2.transview.org/section8 and can be completed and submitted online starting Tuesday, Dec. 13, and no later than Thursday, Dec. 15.

Public computers are available at the Pima County Housing Center, 801 W. Congress, and at Pima County Public Library branches.  The Housing Center will be open from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 13, 14 and 15.  Public library computers can be reserved for a specific day and time, but the user must make the reservation at the library branch in person, up to three days in advance – no reservations by phone.  For information about the Library’s public computer schedules, go to:
www.library.pima.gov/using-your-library/equipment/computers.php#schedule.

Completed applications sent by mail must be postmarked no later than Thursday, Dec. 15.  Application forms will be available beginning Tuesday, Dec. 13, at:

• Section 8 Office, 310 N. Commerce Park Loop
• Pima County Housing Center, 801 W. Congress
• Archer Center, 1665 S. La Cholla Blvd.
• Catalina Community Center, 16562 N. Oracle Road, Catalina
• Cavigilia Arivaca Library, 17050 W. Arivaca Road, Arivaca
• Clements Center, 8155 E. Poinciana Way
• El Pueblo Center, 101 W. Irvington Road
• El Rio Center, 1390 W. Speedway Blvd.
• Geasa Marana Library,13370 N. Lon Adams Road, Marana
• Joyner Green Valley Library, 601 N. La Canada Drive, Green Valley
• Kino Community Center, 2805 E. Ajo Way
• Northwest Center, 2160 N. Sixth Ave.
• Picture Rocks Community Center 5615 N. Sanders Road
• Pima County Community Services, 120 Estrella Ave., Ajo
• Randolph Recreation Center, 200 S. Alvernon Way
• Swetland Community Center 1550 S. Sahuarita Park Road, Sahuarita
• Pascua Center, 785 W. Sahuaro St.
• Quincie Douglas Center, 1575 E. 36^th St.
• Udall Center, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road

For more information, call the Section 8 Office at 520-791-4739 or the Pima County Housing Center at 520-624-2947.

The Pima County Housing Center and its partners:

• Provide resources, information, counseling, classes, computers, and workshops to help first-time homebuyers and other Pima County residents purchase, repair and make their homes more energy efficient; find affordable rentals; improve their credit; and save and manage their money.
• Help homeowners with mortgage modification and foreclosure prevention or recovery.
• Assist individuals and families who have been victims of fraud and rescue scams.
• Help individuals obtain emergency rent, mortgage and utility assistance.

Regular Housing Center hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.