DETROIT – Eleven free workshops will be offered at Focus: HOPE April 21 on topics related to making smart financial decisions, such as planning for the future, paying off debt, how to obtain a mortgage, how to prevent home foreclosure, and how to start a business.
The workshops are part of Money Smart Week activities sponsored throughout Michigan by the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago.
The 2012 Money Smart Community and Economic Empowerment Summit, with the theme Focusing Today to Create a Brighter Tomorrow, will be held from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the Focus: HOPE Conference Center, 1400 Oakman Boulevard, Detroit 48238. Resource tables will be available from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Also available will be information on job readiness skills as well as light refreshments.
Workshops include:
Foreclosure Help, conducted by Diane McCloskey of the Detroit Office of Foreclosure Prevention and Response. Learn about foreclosure issues and possible intervention. It is offered at 10:15 a.m. and 12:45 p.m.
Property Tax Foreclosure. The Wayne County Treasurer’s Office will explain options for paying property taxes, how the property tax foreclosure process works, and how to avoid property tax foreclosure. Sessions will be at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Home Buyer Education, presented by Pat Pearson of Family Tree. Assess your readiness to purchase a home, how to work with the lender, and how to shop for a home. Sessions are at 10:15 a.m. and 12:45 p.m.
Mortgages will be discussed at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Learn about mortgages and how they work, a down payment assistance program, and home improvement loan programs.
Loan Products. Charter One Bank will explain home improvement loan programs and debt consolidation loan products. Sessions are at 10:15 a.m. and 12:45 p.m.
Stretching Your Finances ? Steps to Financial Freedom, presented by Amy Parten of GreenPath Debt Solutions at 10:15 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. Learn how to make ends meet and achieve financial success through a step-by-step process to gain control of your finances.
Identity Theft Protection workshop by Clarissa McMillon of JVS explores what information thieves want, how profitable ID theft is, and where thieves target their victims. Learn to prevent identify theft at this 2 p.m. workshop.
Is Everything in Order? Clarissa McMillon of JVS will discuss how to get your ducks in a row and plan for the future at an 11:30 a.m. workshop.
Small Business & Entrepreneurship. Jamarr Hill of the Hill Foundation will discuss how to start a business, business plans, and small business loan opportunities. The workshop will be offered at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Job Readiness information will be available from Judith Brantley of the Central Woodward/North End (CW/NE) Neighborhood Jobs Pipeline, Cindy Perri of Focus: HOPE, and a representative of Vanguard. Participants can work with a professional on their resume and cover letter and will learn about training and employment resources. The cover letter workshop is at 11 a.m. and the resume clinic is at 1 p.m.
Building Communities/Community Involvement workshop will be presented by Shari Hampton of CW/NE Safety Initiative. This workshop will explore ways to create a safer neighborhood, community safety and policing, community involvement using technology and property acquisition to build your community capacity. The workshop is offered at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The Money Smart workshops are sponsored by Focus: HOPE, Charter One Bank, Chase Bank, Detroit Foreclosure.org, JVS, Family Tree, GreenPath Debt Solutions, Hill Foundation, CW/NE Safety Initiative, and CW/NE Neighborhood Jobs Pipeline.
Additional information on events scheduled throughout the state is available at MoneySmartWeek.Org
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