Foreclosure Response is a non-profit effort connecting residents with a variety of community resources, and advocating changes to stop foreclosures. The Response involves more than forty groups – non-profit housing and service agencies, neighborhood organizations, foundations, city and county governments, Legal Aid resources, banks and real estate professionals throughout Grand Rapids and Kent County.
Many of these groups came together in December of 2007, to determine how to respond to the foreclosure issue. One of the first courses of action was to better coordinate housing counseling services. Home Repair Services was chosen to provide a ‘triage’ function.
Goals include:
- Educating and engaging the community around the issues related to foreclosure.
- Mitigating losses to our community caused by high foreclosure rates.
- Coordinating ongoing efforts to prevent predatory and deceptive lending, and additional foreclosures.
Outcomes include:
- Reducing the number of foreclosures in Kent County
- Developing measurement tools to gauge the current and future impacts of foreclosure.
- Increasing awareness of the tools and services available to homeowners to prevent foreclosure.
- Increasing the number of residents taking action on behalf of their families, neighborhood and community.
Have questions? Want to make a difference?
Contact Foreclosure Response at ForeclosureResponse@gmail.com or call 616-401-0680.
As of June 2009, these are the participants in Foreclosure Response:
Nonprofits/Agenices
Aberdeen Reformed Church www.aberdeenchurch.org
ACCESS Grand Rapids www.accessofwestmichigan.org
ACSET www.acset.org
Adelante High School
Baxter Community Center www.baxtercommunitycenter.org
Berean Baptist Church www.bereanbc.net
Black Hills Citizens for a Better Community http://www.cridata.org/Neighb_GR.aspx
Community Rebuilders www.communityrebuilders.org
Creston Christian Reformed Church
Creston Neighborhood Association http://www.cridata.org/Neighb_GR.aspx
Disability Advocates of Kent County www.disabilityadvocates.us
Eastown Community Association www.eastown.org
Essential Needs Task Force www.accesskent.com/Health/ENTF/
Fair Housing Center of West Michigan www.fhcwm.org/top_frame.htm
Fourth Reformed Church www.fourthchurch.com
Garfield Park Neighborhood Association www.gpnagr.org
GRACE www.graceoffice.org
Grand Rapids ACORN www.acorn.org
GR Area Coalition to End Homelessness www.graceoffice.org
GR Urban League www.grurbanleague.org
Heart of West Michigan United Way www.waybetterunitedway.org
Home Repair Services www.homerepairservices.org
Inner City Christian Federation www.iccf.org
Kent County Tax Credit Coalition https://volunteer.united-e-way.org
Lighthouse Communities www.lcgr.net
LISC www.lisc.org
Midtown Neighborhood Association www.midtowngr.com
Legal Aid of West Michigan www.legalaidwestmich.org
Network 180 www.network180.org
New Development Corporation www.newdevelopmentcorp.org
Oakdale Neighbors volunteer.united-e-way.org
Plainfield United Methodist Church www.pumc.org
Riverside Christian Reformed Church www.riversidecrc.org
Salvation Army Booth Family Services www.tsa-wmni.org/bfs
Second Congregational Church www.rapidgrowthmedia.com
South East Community Association http://www.cridata.org/Neighb_GR.aspx
Steepletown Neighborhood Services
United Growth for Kent County www.unitedgrowth.org
Government
City of Kentwood www.ci.kentwood.mi.us
GR Housing Commission www.grhousing.org
GR Public Schools www.grpublicschools.org
GR Community Development www.grand-rapids.mi.us
Kent County Community Development www.accesskent.com
Michigan Dept. of Human Services http://www.michigan.gov/dhs
Kent County Essential Needs Task Force www.accesskent.com/Health/ENTF
Kent County Register of Deeds www.accesskent.com/YourGovernment/RegisterofDeed
Wyoming Planning and Development Department www.ci.wyoming.mi.us/Planning/plan_FEES.pdf
Wyoming Community Development Department www.wyomingcda.com
Banks, Mortgage Companies and Real
Estate Professionals
Bank of Holland www.bankofholland.com
Chase Bank https://www.chase.com
Chemical Bank www.chemicalbankmi.com
Choice One Bank www.choiceone.com
Comerica Bank www.comerica.com
Fifth Third Bank www.53.com
Flagstar Bank https://www.flagstar.com
Founders Bank and Trust www.foundersbt.com
Grand Rapids Area Realtors http://www.grar.com/portal/
Grand Rapids Legal News
Greenridge Reality www.greenridge.com
Huntington Bank https://www.huntington.com
Keller Williams www.kw.com
Kluczynski, Girtz, and Vogelzang www.kgvlaw.com
LeeKitson Homes www.leekitsonbuilder.com
Member Service Mortgage
Mercantile Bank www.bankmercantile.com
National City www.nationalcity.com
Option 1 Credit Union www.option1cu.org
Resources
Dyer-Ives Foundation www.dyer-ives.org
Grand Rapids Community Foundation www.grfoundation.org
Great Lakes Capital Fund www.capfund.net
Community Research Institute, GVSU www.cridata.org