Housing Services Home

First Time Homebuyer Workshops

Landlord Seminars

Money Mangement And Financial Literacy

Foreclosure Prevention Counseling

Affordable Housing Search

OTHER SERVICES PROVIDED BY OUR HOUSING SERVICES DEPARTMENT

Family Self-Sufficiency

Scattered Site Transitional Apartment Program (SSTAP)

Greater Plymouth Area Supportive Housing (GPASH)

Housing Services

Through our Housing Consumer Education Center, South Shore Housing provides a variety of housing education and counseling services to residents of Plymouth and Bristol counties. We offer first-time homebuyer and homeowner education, financial literacy training, predatory lending and foreclosure prevention counseling, as well as affordable housing search assistance. Our housing services also include supportive and transitional housing services for special needs populations and homeless familes who are victims of domestic violence through the Greater Plymouth Area Supportive Housing Program and the Scattered Site Transitional Apartment Program. Our Family Self Sufficiency Program provides economic and educational support and guidance to families receiving rental assistance who wish to become more economically and finacially self sufficient. Click in left column for more information on these programs and services.

Rental Housing 101 Workshops

Each week we will present workshops designed to assist tenants to locate and access affordable rental housing. We will review the the Housing Rental Voucher application process, address Emergency Rental Housing Concerns, provide information on affordable housing resources in our area, information on shelter availibility and other concerns around rentimg. All workshops are open to the public. Reservations are recommended for all classes. To RSVP call 781-422-4225 or e-mail vtruell@southshorehousing.org.

Classes will be held on the following dates and times in our Kingston office at 169 Summer St. Kingston, MA, 02364 and the New Bedford office we share with Neighborhood Housing Services at 80 Rivet St., New Bedford, MA, 02743-2710

Jan   4   10-12 am            Kingston

Jan 12      2-4  pm            Kingston

Jan 18   10-12 am            Kingston

Jan 25     2-4   pm             New Bedford

Feb  1    10-12 am            Kingston

Feb  8      2-4   pm             Kingston

Feb 15   10-12 am             Kingston

Feb 29     2-4   pm             New Bedford

Mar  7     10-12 am           Kingston

Mar 14     2-4 pm              Kingston

Mar 21    10-12 am          Kingston

Mar 28     2-4 pm              New Bedford

FIRST TIME HOMEBUYER SEMINARS

South Shore Housing has been granted the Seal of Approval by the Massachusetts Homeownership Collaborative in recognition of the quality of our homebuyer seminars. This achievement allows graduates of our classes to apply for special funding in conjunction with their mortgages. Workshops are run on a continual basis and consist of eight hours of instruction.

The homebuyer education workshop helps potential homebuyers with all aspects of the home buying process. Homebuyers are given information on how much house they can afford, how to qualify for a loan, the application process, the variety of loan products available, budgeting and money management, credit as it relates to home buying, working with realtors in finding and selecting a home, home inspections, home insurance, the attorney’s role in purchasing a home and the closing process. With each series of workshops we include guest speakers with expertise in the mortgage and homebuying field.

Graduates of the course receive a certificate that satisfies the homebuyer counseling requirement for MHFA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac financing. These funders offer many low interest mortgage products, and assist buyers with the down payment and closing costs associated with purchasing a home.

For more information on these workshops, dates, locations and times please contact Veronica Truell at 781-422-4225 or e-mail vtruell@southshorehousing.org

South Shore Housing

 In partnership with Rockland Trust

First Time Homebuyers Workshop

Saturdays, February 4 and 11, 2012

9:00am – 2:00pm

2036

Washington Street, Hanover, Ma 02339

LANDLORD SEMINARS

Property owner workshops offer new or seasoned landlords in Plymouth and Bristol counties an opportunity to meet with skilled and knowledgeable professionals to address topics ranging from security deposits, leases, legal issues, fair housing law, lead paint and tenant selection and screening.

If you would like more information about these workshops or would like to be added to our email list of landlords who are notified of upcoming events, please send your email address to: mpujalte@southshorehousing.org or call Marguerite Pujalte at 781-422-4241

This service is available to all landlords.

MONEY MANAGEMENT AND FINANCIAL LITERACY

South Shore Housing offers financial literacy workshops for those who need help with budgeting, money management, banking and credit issues. Counseling is also avaiable to help assess your financial and housing situation, establish achievable housing and financial goals and to assess your credit situation and pursue avenues to establish credit.

If you would like more information contact Kathy Facchini @ 781-422-4222  or email kfacchini@southshorehousing.org.

Foreclosure Prevention Counseling

Foreclosure and the loss of a home can often be prevented if homeowners act quickly and seek appropriate information and guidance. Individual counseling is available for homeowners having difficulty meeting mortgage payments or are in danger of default. All counseling services are free and confidential. To speak to a counselor call or e-mail Veronica Truell at 781-422-4225, vtruell@southshorehousing.org.

Forestalling Foreclosure and Rebuilding Lives

"Without the hard work and dedication of the HUD counselor at SSHDC I do not know if I could have made it through the long and confusing process of my loan modification. My daughter and I thank you."

Tom, a Beneficiary of SSH's foreclosure counseling.

Tom had just lost his fiancée to cancer. As if that weren't tragic enough, he and their 6-year-old daughter were also about to lose their home to foreclosure.

Tom was referred to South Shore Housing to inquire about funding available through the state to assist him with his late mortgage payments. SSH staff discovered that he was ineligible for the funding because he was over-income.
This could have been the end of the story, and a sad ending at that. But Marguerite Pujalte, SSH's HUD Certified Housing Counselor didn't give up. She discovered that his default was due to a temporary loss of income as he cared for his ailing fiancée and then, after her death, struggled to raise their daughter alone.
Marguerite contacted his mortgage company and won a stay of foreclosure. She persuaded them

to change the terms of the loan to a fixed rate at 4.25% — 4% lower than the original loan. She then had the arrearages rolled back into the loan and extended the term to 30 years. By doing this Tom would have much lower fixed payments on the loan that he could afford. In the process he will rebuild his credit. More importantly, a man who lost his fiancé and a girl who lost her mother were at least spared the additional indignity of losing their home.