Economic Empowerment and Restore Our Homes “Rescue Fairs” to launch in Dallas

by LaToya S. Watkins of North Dallas Gazette

Economic Empowerment and Restore Our Homes "Rescue Fairs" will be held at the Dallas Convention Center, June 13, 2009. The "Rescue Fairs" will be hosted by the Urban League of Greater Dallas and North Central Texas and the National Urban League.

The National Urban League is the nation's oldest (established in 1910) and largest community-based movement devoted to the empowerment of African Americans and their entrance into the economic and social mainstream.

This two-pronged event marks the launching of an eight-city effort to provide communities with career and resource information as well as home restoration counseling and help for home owners. It can be called the one-stop shop to two of today's most pressing issues, jobs and housing.

After the launch of the Economic Empowerment and Restore Our Homes "Rescue Fairs" in Dallas on June 13, 2009, seven other cities including St. Louis, MO; Hampton Roads, VA; Louisville, KY; Union County, NJ; Atlanta, GA; Broward County, FL; and Knoxville, KY, will give their communities the opportunity to come out and enjoy the free services offered by the National Urban League in 2009.

In an interview with the North Dallas Gazette, Marc H. Morial, president and CEO of The National Urban League, commented, "One of the reasons that the National Urban League chose Dallas for its launching efforts is because of the Dr. Beverly Mitchell-Brooks, president and CEO of Urban League of Dallas. She is a fantastic leader." Dr. Brooks seemed flattered by the comment, but added, "I think that the whole Dallas Urban League has a great team and wonderful community support. The whole team gets out there every day to help people." Dr. Brooks also informed North Dallas Gazette that the Dallas Urban League has been a leader in areas including, mitigation, housing counseling, default counseling, and first time buyer counseling for over forty years. Dallas Urban League also offers emergency services for rent and mortgage assistance and has been offering foreclosure prevention since a few years prior to the current economical crisis.

Morial stated that all services provided at the "Rescue Fairs" are free to the public. He added: "I want people to know that we are here for them. This event is for the people. The Urban league is a place that they can go to for help."

The home foreclosure prevention component of the Economic Empowerment Tour is part of a national partnership of non-profit, community-based organizations. These programs that serve multicultural communities nationwide, include The National Urban League, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD) created the Alliance for Stabilizing our Communities (ASC). Bank of America will assist to ensure financial counsel from trusted experts, one-on-one foreclosure sessions and workshops are all part of each home retention event.

The purpose for Restore Our Homes: Rescue Fair is to provide access to assistance and information to families who are behind or delinquent on mortgage and facing foreclosure, as well as those who are merely concerned about what steps to take if they should find themselves in similar situations. Direct assistance will be offered at the event, meaning there will be HUD-approved foreclosure prevention counselors, servicers/lenders, as well as legal aid attorneys, so that homeowners can address their issues and begin working on resolutions onsite. Informative workshops will also be offered. These workshops include, "Foreclosure 101, Crisis Budgeting, The President's Making Home Affordable Plan," and "Don't Be A Victim of Fraud."

The career and resource component of the fair will offer recruitment, workshops, and financial planning experts. The main goal of economic empowerment, according to the National Urban League, is to assist African Americans reach their fullest potential and close the equality gaps that still exist.

Morial announced to the North Dallas Gazette, "We have asked that only companies with job openings available attend the fair for recruiting purposes." This means that there will be onsite interviews or at least the beginning of the hiring processes taking place at the "Rescue Fair." Candidates are also encouraged to bring resumes to receive assistance in polishing them. There will be many workshop presenters and qualified volunteers to help with this process.

According to the Dallas Urban League, "60 companies including Federal Express, Parkland Hospital, DART, Career Builders, and Adecco have committed their participation and will be on site to offer jobs to those seeking employment."

According to Dr. Brooks, Dallas communities have been greatly affected by the economic hardships of our country at present. It is apparent that home loss and job security go hand in hand, so to offer roads to building both in a single effort, makes sense. Dr. Brooks stated, "These are two major issues impacting our economy today. Addressing one without the other is like fixing only one leg of a three legged stool, when all three are broken. When people lose their jobs, most times they can't pay their mortgage."

In today's economy there have been some changes in demographics. According to Dr. Brooks, people who were only a short time ago able to come in and offer services to the Urban League of Dallas, are now among those requesting service. "We just want to do the best that we can do to help, by providing the tools that we are able to provide," she stated.

As a bonus to all of the other free services, free, on-site health screenings will also be available through the National Urban League/Walgreens Wellness Tour. These screenings include features such as a mobile health and an education vehicle offering testing of things raging from cholesterol levels to waist circumference and body mass index to help provide the critical foundation for early disease detection and prevention.

Again, Saturday, June 13, 2009 is a date to mark in your calendar. Doors open and registration begins at 9 a.m. The Urban League is offering free services from one-on-one sessions with loan specialists to foreclosure-prevention workshops, as well as a career fair with a few reputable employers. Here's a list of what you should bring for the Restore Our Homes: Rescue Fair:

* Current pay stub (within the last 30 days)

* 2007 and 2008 income-tax returns

* Three months of bank statements

* Household expense budget

* Copy of closing documents and most recent correspondence from your mortgage company.

* Most recent property insurance and mortgage statements.

If attending the career fair, please bring your resume if you have one.

With more than one thousand expected attendees, Urban League staff and volunteers will have plenty to do throughout the day. Be prepared to spend a great deal of your day at the fair if you plan to attend. Dr. Brooks and the rest of the staff at the Urban League of Dallas request that all attendees, "Please be patient. We will get to you and we will do the very best we can to make sure that we meet your needs."

The Urban League of Dallas is still accepting volunteers to come out and be a part of this ground-breaking event. If you are interested in volunteering, please email the Economic Power Tour at economicempowerment@ulgdnctx.com.