By Mark Wineka

Salisbury Post

The Salisbury Community Development Corp. will be among 20 nonprofits in North Carolina chosen to provide counseling to homeowners in danger of foreclosure.

"We are going to be doing it immediately," said Lou Adkins, community development coordinator for the Salisbury CDC.

In the past, the CDC has provided important counseling and mortgage payment assistance for people on short time or who have been laid off. The CDC has made some 62 loans — the most in the state, Adkins said.

But this new grant, administered through the N.C. Housing Finance Agency, will go toward counseling help for anyone who might be behind on a payment, needs to look at refinancing or is worried about foreclosure — even if the process has not started yet.

The Salisbury CDC will receive $184,995 for the program, which provides counseling only.

Adkins said Rowan County saw more than 800 foreclosures last year.

The county's largest employer, Freightliner, has been dealing with layoffs and short work schedules for almost a year.

"I have seen or talked to 1,078 people from Freightliner," Adkins said.

This newest counseling program will last only through the end of the year.

The CDC's telephone number is 704-638-2594.

The N.C. Housing Finance Agency announced Wednesday it has received more than $3 million to support foreclosure prevention counseling by nonprofit agencies in the state.

The grant funds come from the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling Program, approved by Congress in the fiscal year 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Bill.

Lucius S. Jones, chairman of the N.C. Housing Finance Agency board, said in a press release that the grant will help to pay for foreclosure prevention counseling sessions for 6,000 to 8,000 homeowners who are in danger of losing their homes.

North Carolina is the 11th largest grant in the nation and fifth largest awarded to a state housing finance agency.

It was a competitive grant application and program, and all the funds are supposed to be used by the end of this year.

Davidson County Community Action and Prosperity Limited of Kannapolis also are listed as foreclosure mitigation counseling agencies for Rowan residents.

In Cabarrus, Prosperity Limited and United Family Services of Charlotte are listed as the counseling agencies.

For Davie County, Consumer Credit Counseling of Forsyth County is the agency; for Stanly County, Prosperity Unlimited; for Davidson, Davidson County Community Action and Consumer Credit Counseling of Forsyth; for Iredell, Prosperity Unlimited and United Family Services.

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Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263 or mwineka@salisburypost.com.

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