Annapolis (June 4, 2008) - In a concerted effort to inform the general public about a number of homeownership, foreclosure prevention, and home improvement programs currently available to residents, Anne Arundel County is sponsoring a Housing Fair from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on June 7, 2008 at the Chesapeake Arts Center, located at 194 Hammonds Lane in Brooklyn Park, Maryland. The Housing Fair will feature exhibits, a series of workshops, information about financial assistance programs, and activities for children. In addition, attendees will have a chance to talk to housing counselors, lenders and Realtors as well as nonprofit housing agencies about the home buying process and the products and services available to persons wanting to purchase a home in Anne Arundel County. "The current housing market presents a great time for first time homebuyers to purchase a home, and, through ACDS, the County has a number of programs that provide financial assistance to those buyers," said County Executive John R. Leopold. To help buyers get into homes, County Executive Leopold also announced that ACDS recently increased their down payment and closing cost assistance to $40,000 for households earning up to 80 percent of the area median income through the Mortgage Assistance Program and is now offering up to $20,000 in assistance for households earning up to 120 percent of the area median income through a Workforce Housing Initiative. In addition, ACDS also increased assistance to homeowners in a targeted area within the Brooklyn Park community providing over $40,000 per household for housing rehabilitation to help families modernize and upgrade their homes. "We have planned the Housing Fair in an effort to reach out to our County residents, in hopes that everyone can learn more about the housing market and all of the housing programs available - programs that help people buy a home for the first time, programs that counsel people in what to look for when buying a home, programs to help those who are facing foreclosure, and programs that help homeowners make improvements so that their homes are safer, more accessible, more modern," states Kathleen Koch, ACDS Executive Director. Sponsored by Arundel Community Development Services, Inc. (ACDS) a private, nonprofit corporation established in 1993 by Anne Arundel County to create and retain affordable housing opportunities within the County, the Housing Fair is being held in conjunction with the observance of National Homeownership Month, celebrated annually in June by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. For further information, please contact: Kathleen Koch, Executive Director
(410) 222-7600 x. 110
kkoch@acdsinc.org |
