HEART to Heart Resource Fair Serves 154

A Young boy admires his free haircut given by SuperCuts at the Resource Fair.

Community Services Consortium participated in the The May 12th HEART to Heart Resource Fair for the homeless and others living in poverty in Linn and Benton counties. The fair was held at the Boys and Girls Club in Albany and was the largest Resource Fair to date with 154 people checked in.

CSC's Emergency Services gave out 132 pairs of reading and sunglasses glasses, assisted 20 people with Identification applications, and talked to people who are homeless about housing. Other CSC staff gave out information about Healthy Kids medical insurance for children without insurance, participating in employment programs, birth certificate applictions and telling their stories.

Larry Larios and Connie Barkdull from Community Services Consortium help people apply for birth certificates. They speak with a young mother at the Resource Fair

The event was sponsored by the Albany Homeless Enrichment and RehabilitationTeam (HEART. Besides CSC, among other agencies represented were Super Cuts, the Department of Motor Vehicles, Social Security, Veterans Administration, Linn County Alcohol and Drug Treatment, Albany Helping Hands, the Corvallis Bicycle Collective and many other agencies.

Community Housing Services Foreclosure Program

Jon Polansky and Sandi Brantner, HUD Foreclosure Counselors at CSC.

A Foreclosure counseling client recently said “It was a miracle. We were just one day away from losing our home to foreclosure when a friend gave us a number they had seen on a CSC brochure. We called CSC in sheer desperation and by the next morning foreclosure counselors had contacted our bank. Not only were they able to get the foreclosure stopped but they advocated for us and we were able to modify the loan terms to half the interest rate we had been paying. We couldn't even get the same person at the bank to talk to us. We are in our home today because of Jon Polansky and the Foreclosure program."

Although most of the problems are not as dramatic and not all foreclosure issues will be resolved in this way, Jon Polansky and Sandi Brantner, from CSC’s Community Housing Services Foreclosure Program, know banking, loan, and foreclosure issues. Because they have HUD training in foreclosure and have backgrounds in lending, they know the language. They can help you see all your options and advocate on your behalf. If you would like to talk to a foreclosure counselor, call (541) 758-2630.

CSC 'Building Bridges' now accepting applications for VISTA Members

A former Americorps*VISTA team at CSC.

The CSC ‘Building Bridges’ AmeriCorps*VISTA Program is now accepting applications for VISTA Members. This is a great opportunity to learn new skills, give back to your community, and to fight homelessness in Linn, Benton, and Lincoln counties. VISTA Members serve full time for one year and receive a living allowance of $858/month, preventative health coverage, student loan forbearance, $5,350 for school loans or future education, and much more! It is a life changing experience! Contact Tifani Erpelding at 541-758-2641 or terpelding@communityservices.us.