Helping Oberlin Maintain Equity, Inc.



Oberlin Resources Oberlin Community Services (440) 774-6579 285 S. Professor St. Oberlin, OH 44074 http://www.oberlincommunityservices.org/ Oberlin Community Services is a responsive community organization that provides direct assistance, referrals and other services to Oberlin area residents and groups who need help meeting their basic needs. Housing client services include: Rental assistance, referrals to the Housing Service Program through the Nord Center, some money for preventing foreclosures or evictions, paying security deposits, and paying the rent for Lorain County residents. Zion Community Development Corporation 81 Locust Street Oberlin, OH 44074-1649 (440) 774-1800 Zion Community Development Corporation, serving residents of Southeast and Southern Oberlin, has been in existence since 1995 to revitalize our service area through public improvement, community development, and resident empowerment. Our programs and services include: home buyer training, financial health and wellness seminars, property maintenance, weatherization, community forums, community advisory committee, foreclosure prevention and education, community gardens, and neighborhood building/housing development. Oberlin Street Law oberlin.street.law@gmail.com oberlinstreetlaw.org Oberlin Street Law partners college and community members to generate creative strategies addressing issues and injustices affecting us all. We promote educational and artistic techniques to facilitate non-lawyer participation in the law. City of Oberlin Housing and Economic Development Tita Reed Economic and Housing Development Officer Phone: (440) 775-7257 POWER Program Coordinator: Kristin Braziunas Email: power@oberlin.net Phone: 440-707-6233 Website: www.oberlin.edu/~power POWER was founded in 2008 by a group of citizens concerned about the impact of rising energy costs of Oberlin’s low-income population. Ohio households, in particular households in the lowest income bracket, already spend a large percentage of their income on energy use – households making less than $50,000 (approximately 52% of Ohio households) spend 18% of the annual income on energy use; households making less than $10,000 spend a whopping 60% just on heating and cooling their homes. POWER’s mission is to increase and promote energy efficiency in Oberlin, and in particular we focus on assisting low-income homeowners with making their homes more energy efficient. Because it is the biggest bang for your buck, we decided to begin by investing in home insulation, and for the past two years have run a grant program to insulate homes in Oberlin. As of November 2010, we have insulated 16 homes in Oberlin and are currently in the process of insulating an additional 7 homes. POWER is also in the process of creating a referral program to take advantage of other energy efficiency programs in the area, stretch our dollars further, and reach more households in Oberlin. Lorain County Resources Empowering and Strengthening Ohio's People (ESOP) Toll Free (877) 731-3767 http://www.esop-cleveland.org/ ESOP works with homeowners and their lenders to obtain affordable resolutions that preserve homeownership. ESOP uses a Hot Spot Card process, through which homeowners complete documentation and provide financial information relevant to their case, and have the opportunity to make suggestions to the lender for a resolution. ESOP foreclosure prevention advocates use the information obtained from the homeowner to negotiate with the lender for an affordable modification to the loan. Unlike most housing counseling agencies, ESOP has direct points of contact and formal agreements with many lending companies, which produces results in a quick and efficient manner. Lorain County Urban League 401 Broad St # 209 Elyria, OH 44035-5524 (440) 323-3364 The Lorain County Urban League, Inc. is a HUD Certified Housing Counseling Agency. What does that mean to you? It means we can counsel residents on various housing topics, including: Pre-purchase housing counseling Pre-rental counseling Mortgage default & Rent delinquency Foreclosure counseling Money Management & Credit counseling Debt Management Landlord/Tenant Counseling Fair Housing Counseling For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact Mindy Wright at 440-323-3364 x22 or at mcooper@lcul.org. State Resources Ohio Attorney General Toll-free: (800) 282-0515 Local: (614) 466-4986 Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. 30 E. Broad St., 17th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Foreclosure news: http://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Foreclosure Foreclosure resources: http://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/SpeakOutOhio/Foreclosure/Foreclosure-Resources Save the Dream Ohio Save the Dream Ohio Hotline : 888.404.4674 Savethedream.ohio.gov provides information and highlights programs you can use to help save the dream of homeownership. Here you can learn about available resources, the value of working with local housing counselors, and the importance of contacting your mortgage servicer.