Leila Amirhamzeh, JD Director of Development, New Jersey Citizen - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Leila Amirhamzeh, JD Director of Development, New Jersey Citizen Action leila@njcitizenaction.org

 Rental assistance counseling  General credit counseling  First-time Homebuyer Counseling  Home Improvement Counseling  Foreclosure Prevention Counseling  General education and outreach

Counselors should:

 Get a basic understanding of/familiarize

yourself with common barriers to fair housing facing renters, and address these issues in counseling sessions

• Discrimination against families with young children
• Discrimination against individuals with disabilities
• Scams targeting tenants in foreclosed properties

 Incorporate basic information on the Fair

Housing Act and other protections for renters under NJ law

 Help clients identify and report housing

discrimination

Counselors should:

 Get a basic understanding of/familiarize

yourself with common barriers to fair housing facing first-time homebuyers, including:

• Predatory first-time homebuyer scams
• Predatory mortgages
• Other housing discrimination in financing of

homes

 Discrimination against pregnant women on maternity leave  Discrimination against individuals with disabilities on SSI

Counselors should:

 Incorporate basic information on the Fair

Housing Act and other consumer protections under NJ law

• New Jersey Home Owner Security Act
• Truth in Lending Act
• Consumer Fraud Act

Counselors should:

 Educate first-time homebuyers on the

difference between conventional, subprime and predatory mortgages

 Educate first-time homebuyers on common

features of high-cost or predatory mortgages

 Educate clients on scams targeting first-

time homebuyers

 Help clients identify & report housing

discrimination

Counselors should:

 Get a basic understanding of/familiarize

yourself with common barriers to fair housing facing homeowners and address these issues in counseling sessions

• Home improvement scams
• Debt consolidation scams
• High Cost loans to refinance (predatory mortgages)
• Foreclosure rescue scams

 Incorporate basic information on the Fair

Housing Act and other protections under NJ law

 Help clients identify and report housing

discrimination

• HUD’s Office of Fair Housing & Equal

Opportunity (FHEO) enforces the Fair Housing Act

• If you feel that you or someone you know may

have been a victim of housing discrimination, please call FHEO on their toll-free Intake Hotline number:

• 1(800) 669-9777 (Nationwide)
• 1(800) 496-4294 (for New York or New Jersey)
• TTY (800) 927-9275 (hearing impaired)
• You can also visit HUD’s website: www.hud.gov

• Consu

nsume mer F r Finan nancial ial Protec ection B n Burea reau ( u (CFPB) B)

• (855) 411-2372
• www.consumerfinance.gov
• NJ

J Divis isio ion n of Consu nsumer er Affairs airs

• (800) 242-5846
• www.njconsumeraffairs.gov
• NJ Division
• n on Civil Rights

ts

• (609) 292-2918
• www.NJCivilRights.org
• NJ

J Depart rtment ent o

• f Bankin

nking & & Insu surance

• Newark Consumer Center – (973) 648-4713
• Trenton office – (800) 446-7467

NJCA is a HUD-designated Fair Housing Agency. We:

• Take consumer complaints and refer them to HUD
• Provide free workshops on fair housing and

predatory lending to organizations in English and Spanish For more information, contact NJCA at:

• (973) 643-8800
• www.njcitizenaction.org