The Pima County Housing Center wants homeowners who may have been wrongly harmed by foreclosure in 2009 or 2010 to know that they may be receiving compensation.

Homeowners who requested a free Independent Foreclosure Review by Dec. 31, 2012, in connection with the U.S. government’s enforcement actions against 13 mortgage servicers are among the more than 4.2 million people nationwide who will receive payment.

The $3.6 billion in cash payments come as a result of an agreement between federal banking regulators and the 13 mortgage servicers, including Bank of America; Countrywide; Chase; Citibank; Morgan Stanley; Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.; U.S. Bank; Wachovia Mortgage; and Washington Mutual.

According to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, payments are expected to range from a few hundred dollars to $125,000. Those receiving payment may still pursue their own legal claims against their servicer.

In most cases, a letter and check from the paying agent – Rust Consulting Inc. – will arrive in four to eight weeks. Some borrowers may receive a letter from Rust requesting additional tax-related information that will be needed to process their payment.

To verify that you are covered by the agreement or to update contact information, call Rust Consulting at 1-888-952-9105. Information provided to Rust will only be used for purposes relating to the agreement.

If you need additional help with foreclosure prevention, please contact the Pima County Housing Center at (520) 624-2947; or the Homeowner’s HOPE Hotline at 888-995-HOPE (4673) or at www.makinghomeaffordable.gov.

The review process for more than 450,000 borrowers serviced by OneWest, Everbank, and GMAC Mortgage continues because these companies did not enter into the agreement with federal banking regulators. Regulators expect the review process for these companies to be completed over the course of the coming year. Eligible borrowers at these servicers who requested a review will receive information about their review when it is available.

For more information, please visit:

• https://independentforeclosurereview.com/Settled.aspx.
• The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (www.occ.gov/independentforeclosurereview).
• The Federal Reserve (http://www.federalreserve.gov/consumerinfo/independent-foreclosure-review.htm).
• The Pima County Housing Center, 801 W. Congress, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays or call (520) 624-2947.

Pima County Housing Center, 801 W. Congress St.

The Pima County Housing Center is one of 22 local sites where volunteers are helping low- and moderate-income individuals and families prepare their 2012 federal and state income tax returns for free.

If your individual income was $25,000 or less or your household income was $51,000 or less last year, the United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program can help you secure all the refunds and credits you are eligible for, including the Earned Income Tax Credit.

Trained VITA volunteers are at the Housing Center, 801 W. Congress St., from 1 to 4 p.m. Fridays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays through Saturday, April 13.

When you go, be sure to bring with you:

• Picture I.D. for taxpayer and spouse (if applicable)
• ORIGINAL Social Security card for each family member
• Proof of income, including W-2s and 1099 forms
• Documentation of deductible expenses
• Account and routing numbers of checking and savings accounts for direct deposit of refunds
• Prior year tax return (if possible)

Last year, United Way’s 319 trained volunteers prepared 8,558 tax returns and secured $12.6 million in tax refunds for participating individuals and families.

For more information in English and Spanish, visit www.unitedwaytucson.org/vita.

You may be entitled to compensation if you were wrongly harmed by foreclosure, but you must take action this month.

The Pima County Housing Center is working with Don’t Borrow Trouble® Pima County and HUD-approved housing counseling agencies to help identify borrowers who were financially harmed as a result of servicer errors, misrepresentations, or other deficiencies during the foreclosure process.

The Federal Reserve Board and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued enforcement actions against 14 large mortgage services for deficient servicing and foreclosure practices. A foreclosure review conducted by an independent consultant is required as a result of the enforcement actions.

If your primary residence was involved in a foreclosure process between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2010, you may qualify for a FREE Independent Foreclosure Review.

The Independent Foreclosure Review will determine whether individual homeowners suffered financial injury and may receive compensation or other remedy due to errors or other problems they encountered while going through the home foreclosure process with their lender.

Remediation for losses (financial loss due to foreclosure) may include:

• Loan modification or other loss-mitigation assistance.
• Correction of credit report or correction of deficiency amount records.
• Lump sum payment of $500-$125,000 plus equity.
• Suspension or rescission of foreclosure.

Requests for review must be postmarked or submitted online by Dec. 31, 2012.

If you or someone you know may qualify, please contact:

• the Independent Foreclosure Review Hotline at 1-888-952-9105 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Tucson time) Monday through Friday and from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
• the Federal Reserve Board at  www.federalreserve.gov/consumerinfo/independent-foreclosure-review.htm.
• the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency at www.occ.gov/topics/consumer-protection/foreclosure-prevention/correcting-foreclosure-practices.html.
• the Pima County Housing Center, 801 W. Congress, at (520) 624-2947 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• Don’t Borrow Trouble at (520) 792-3087.

Slide 1 of 3.
Southern Arizona Land Trust and JC Construction Inc. turned a run-down, foreclosed home into this energy-efficient duplex that received the highest green rating -- Emerald -- according to the Regional Residential Green Building Program.
Source: Pima County Communications OfficeSlide 2 of 3.
Energy Star-rated appliances were just some of the improvements that helped this foreclosed home-turned-duplex achieve Emerald Certification, the greenest rating available from the Regional Green Building Program.
Source: Pima County Communications OfficeSlide 3 of 3.
Energy-efficient ceiling fans and light fixtures, ceramic tile instead of carpet, and paint free of volatile organic compounds helped this foreclosed home-turned-duplex achieve Emerald Certification, the greenest rating available from the Regional Green Building Program.
Source: Pima County Communications Office

Pima County’s partnership with a local contractor and a nonprofit has created jobs and turned a vacant, foreclosed home into a duplex that achieved the “greenest” possible rating for energy and water efficiency – Emerald.

Two low-income families are moving in today.

“This is the only Emerald Certification awarded in the state of Arizona” for a renovation, said Shawn Andersen, project manager for the nonprofit Southern Arizona Land Trust (SALT).

With Andersen’s project direction, the contractor converted the run-down house into a beautiful, safe and very energy-efficient home. “Everything in this house, from the roof to the foundation, has been constructed to save the resident money on their water and electric bills for many years to come,” said Jerry Camp, the general contractor with JC Construction Inc. hired by SALT.

The property southeast of Valencia Road and South Sixth Avenue is one of dozens of vacant, foreclosed homes purchased and renovated for sale or rent through the Pima Neighborhood Investment Partnership (PNIP). Pima County received a $22 million Neighborhood Stabilization Program grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2010 and is collaborating with the City of Tucson and seven local nonprofits to make foreclosed and vacant homes energy efficient, available and affordable in a target area generally south of 22^nd Street.

SALT received $8 million and has purchased, renovated and rented over 52 homes to low-income families. The project has helped Camp keep his 15-year-old, family-owned construction business going through tough economic times.

“If it hadn’t been for the grant money … I’d probably be running two or three guys,” he said. “That’s it. Now I’ve got 21 guys.”

Camp is proud of his green building record. “I’ve got 42 Silvers, three Golds and an Emerald,” he said about his housing rehabilitation work for the partnership and for the City.

He and Andersen worked closely with Amy Patze and Clayton Trevillyan in the County’s and City’s green building programs, respectively, to get the certificates.

The standards of the Regional Residential Green Building Program established by the City and County are comparable to the national LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards without the costly LEED fee for certification – a critical factor in affordable housing projects.

“People say that using Energy Star-rated materials, fixtures, bulbs, etc. increases the construction costs hundreds, even thousands, of dollars,” Camp said. “It doesn’t.”

“There are many ways to find the required points to make the home energy efficient without spending an enormous amount of money,” Andersen said. “Jerry and I have great model we have utilized on every one of our projects to maximize the energy efficiency while keeping construction costs to a minimum.”

Turning the 2,400-square-foot, three-bedroom home with a grandmother’s apartment into a duplex gave Andersen and Camp an opportunity to go for an Emerald Certificate because they had to completely gut all but the foundation slab, outside walls and roof. To create one 3-bedroom/2-bath unit and one 2-bedroom/1-bath unit, with a garage for each, they had to add 500 square feet, replumb the entire property to create two separate water and sewer systems, and rewire for all new electric to correct deficiencies and meet code.

The improvements that helped Andersen and Camp achieve the Emerald rating included:

• Replacing the home’s swamp cooler with a heat pump for each unit.
• Increasing the insulation in the ceiling to R-30 and adding three layers of reflective roof coating.
• Water-efficient toilets, and sink and shower fixtures. “Many time people will only install new shower heads, for example,” Camp said. “We actually go another step further and install new diverters. No matter what shower head you purchase and install, it’s going to be “low flow.”
• Installing ceramic tile floors instead of carpet.
• Double-pane windows with argon gas between the panes. “You can touch the window on the inside when it’s 110 degrees outside and it’s still the same temperature as it is in the house,” Camp said.
• Energy-efficient light fixtures and ceiling fans. “The actual light fixture is low-wattage,” Camp said. “You can use a 60 watt bulb, but it will still be energy efficient.”
• Formaldehyde-free cabinets and paint free of volatile organic compounds.
• Drought-tolerant, low-water-use landscaping with rainwater retention and a high-efficiency irrigation system.
• All Energy Star-rated appliances.

Camp said his green building work for SALT and PNIP “has transformed how we work and think.” He’s hired an energy specialist to help achieve green building certifications, and together they’re educating homeowners and construction workers about green technology. He started a nonprofit, Green & Healthy Homes Inc. (http://tucsongreenhealthyhomes.com), to raise funds to provide “a healthy living environment for low-income families, especially those with children and seniors.”

Camp praises the Pima County One-Stop Career Center for helping him hire the local and lower-income workers the federal grant required.

“You know what’s good about One-Stop?” Camp said, repeating his phone conversation with the center personnel. “’Hey, I need some guys.’ ‘How many do you need? What do you need?’

“You call them up. You send over your reference sheet. They set up a room and they set up all your appointments within a half hour. I sit in there at a desk and they bring them in. I mean wow!  What an organization!”

Camp also hired “7, 8, 10 guys from the neighborhood.”

“If they could do a couple more grants like this,” he said, “I think they could really help the economy out a lot.”

For more information, please visit:

• Pima Neighborhood Investment Partnership: www.pnip.org
• Southern Arizona Land Trust: www.saltproperty.com
• JC Construction Inc.: http://www.jcconstructionarizona.net/

Sentinel Plaza Senior Housing in Tucson receives LEED Gold Certification. Photograph courtesy of Lizard Rock Designs.

Downtown Tucson has another LEED-Certified Green building: Sentinel Plaza, at 125 S. Linda Avenue. The facility opened in August 2012 for low-income seniors moving from an existing building on the east end of downtown Tucson.  The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) gave it Gold certification for achievement in green homebuilding.

The six-story, 143-unit building is the first of its height to be constructed of Integra Block, an insulated, Arizona-produced, post-tensioned concrete block system. Recycled materials, low VOC paints and sustainably harvested woods are further examples of LEED requirements that were implemented into the building’s design.

Unlike the former Armory Park Apartments, every resident has a one-bedroom apartment. In addition, common areas like the fitness center, gathering room, and library are powered by rooftop solar panels.

In addition, the building is located in a new transit-oriented district in downtown Tucson that is certified Gold under LEED for Neighborhood Development.  Sentinel Plaza affirms urban living can work for seniors.  Residents have access to bus and streetcar lines, the University of Arizona, downtown, senior centers in the adjacent neighborhood, and The Loop–a linear greenway that provides open space and recreation opportunities along the Santa Cruz River.

Developer Senior Housing Group and Evergreen Partners selected Tucson architecture firm Lizard Rock Designs and W.E. O’Neil Construction to bring the project to completion.

“This is our second senior project that has been certified LEED Gold, and it was built at $110 per square foot,” says Tom McQuillen, Principal at Lizard Rock Designs. “We incorporated a lot of sustainable design features that produced a tangible benefit for the residents.” For example, a big expense for seniors besides rent is the energy bill, and McQuillen says, “We visited residents in the middle of the summer, and they didn’t have the air conditioning turned on. The building is so well insulated, they didn’t need AC.” In addition, the “tight” building design means dust doesn’t get in; ducts are also covered during construction, providing a really clean indoor air environment for seniors.

“This building shows that the Board of Supervisors 2007 Sustainability Resolution is making a difference in our community,” says Rich Franz-Under, Green Building Program Manager for Pima County.  He points out that the green building program was a product of the Sustainability Resolution, created to support local builders to benefit from the LEED for Homes certification. The end result is tangible, Franz-Under says: “At Sentinel Plaza, we have energy efficient, water efficient, and healthy homes for our seniors.”

LEED for Homes awards points to projects in seven categories of environmental performance: Location & Linkages, Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Indoor Environmental Quality, Energy & Atmosphere, Homeowner Awareness, and Innovation and Design.

“The U.S. Green Building Council is proud to help celebrate Lizard Rock Designs, Senior Housing Group and Evergreen Partners’ commitment to greener living,” said Michelle Moore, Senior Vice President of Policy & Market Development, U.S. Green Building Council.  “Their leadership – demonstrated at Sentinel Plaza – is at the national forefront of quality; and their example can help us all to live better by reducing our environmental footprint, cutting our utility bills, and coming home to a healthier place to live.”

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.

Find out more about the Pima County Community Land Trust at an information session on Monday, Nov. 12, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Pima County Housing Center, 801 W. Congress St.

The Pima County Community Land Trust is also inviting the public to see our homes by visiting our website at: www.pcclt.org.

To reserve a seat at the November 12^th information session or to get more information, contact the Pima County Community Land Trust at (520) 603-0587 or at Maggie@pcclt.ortg or Ana@pcclt.org, or visit www.pcclt.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.

It’s one thing to adopt strong energy codes for buildings to improve energy efficiency. Lots of states and counties have done that, including Pima County.

It’s another thing to educate builders on the advances in energy efficiency in the codes and ensure that homeowners get the lower utility bills energy efficiency provides. Pima County has done that, too, and its efforts were recognized this week at the International Code Council’s annual conference in Portland, Ore.

Two organizations that promote energy efficiency – Institute for Market Transformation and Global Buildings Performance Network – honored Pima County with the inaugural Excellence in Energy Code Compliance Award in the large jurisdiction category for its “beyond code” programs that familiarize builders with the latest advances in energy-efficient building techniques.

“Simply enforcing the energy codes which have already been adopted will lead to higher quality construction, saving homeowners and business millions of dollars in energy costs each year,” said Jayson Antonoff, U.S. director of Global Buildings Performance Network. “This award is highlighting the great work by leading jurisdictions who recognize this and have committed to providing this benefit to their communities.”

Pima County adopted the 2000 International Energy Conservation Code in 2001 to save money for residents and reduce peak utility loads by improving building energy efficiency. In August of this year, the Pima County Board of Supervisors adopted the 2012 IECC, which becomes effective in 2013.

Pima County’s Development Services Department has worked with local utilities, builders and contractors to establish local standards, training and inspections for two critical energy code compliance issues: building insulation and “right-sized” heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment.

The County’s “beyond code” efforts recognized by the award are its Regional Residential Green Building Program, its status as a LEED for Homes provider and its Net-Zero Energy Building Standard.

• Launched in 2008, the free and voluntary Regional Residential Green Building Program provides for the certification of new and remodeled homes based on factors that include water, energy and resource efficiency and indoor environmental quality.
• Also in 2008 Pima County became the only government in the nation to be a LEED for Homes provider of services and certifications. (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.) To date, Pima County has registered 723 homes in the LEED for Homes program, including two multi-family projects. It has certified 83 LEED Homes: 66 platinum, 14 gold and three silver.

As part of its Green Building and LEED for Homes programs, the County provides training in advanced energy efficiency building techniques for homeowners and building professionals. It conducted nine training sessions for more than 240 people in 2011.

• Pima County and the City of Tucson partnered in 2012 to become the first governmental jurisdictions in the country to develop a Net-Zero Energy Building Standard. The standard provides web-based tools to facilitate the design of homes, apartments, offices and retail buildings that make as much energy as they use.  In Pima County, net-zero homes and apartments are cash flow positive from day one. Lower energy bills more than pay for any increase in the cost of the home (mortgage payments) attributable to the energy-efficient design features. Net-zero homes can save owners or residents $38 to $83 every month.

“Pima County is a great example in the southwestern region of the U.S. to show building departments how they can improve building code compliance,” said Jim Meyers, director of the buildings program for the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, which works with consumers, businesses, utilities and governments in a six-state region to increase energy efficiency.

“From contractor training to utility collaboration to net zero energy opportunities, Pima County recognizes the importance of working with builders and trades to construct energy code compliant buildings.”

For more information about Pima County’s Green Building Program, LEED for Homes and the Net-Zero Energy Building Standard, including training opportunities, please call (520) 740-6490 or visit www.dsd.pima.gov/Green.

Celebrate Housing America Community Day on Saturday, Oct. 20, and talk to local housing experts who can help you find a home to buy or rent, qualify for a mortgage or financial assistance, or improve or hold onto the home you have.

The free event is 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Pima County Housing Center, 801 W. Congress.

Over 20 exhibitors are participating in the housing fair.

Bring your whole family. Meet McGruff the Crime Dog and Tucson Water’s Pete the Beak.  Kids can get free bike repairs and ID kits; a big fire truck will be on site.

Enjoy free refreshments and entertainment (music by Mariachi’s Las Aguilitas from Davis Bilingual Magnet School and Inspiracion de Tucson).  Spin the wheel and enter the raffle to win big prizes.

The workshop schedule is:

• 10-10:45 a.m. – Credit Repair
• 10-10:45 a.m. – Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP 2.0)
• 11-11:45 a.m. – Home Ownership Programs
• 11-11:45 a.m. – Save Our Home AZ – AZ Department of Housing
• Noon-12:45 p.m. – Affordable Rental Programs
• Noon-12:45 p.m. – Independent Foreclosure Review (Were you denied a loan modification?)
• 1-1:45 p.m. – Credit Repair
• 1-1:45 p.m. – Home Preservation/Foreclosure Prevention/ Refinance Program Q&A Panel

Home repair/weatherization demonstration workshops will be ongoing during the event.

Please see the attached flyers in English and Spanish.

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.

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

Keep up with Pima County and the Housing Center on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pimacountyarizona.