‘Call to Connect’ offers financial help to homeowners

Published 11:06 pm Saturday, August 9, 2014

Are you behind on or having trouble paying your mortgage?

Are you behind on or having trouble paying rent and utilities?

Does your owner-occupied home need repairs?

Is your rent or mortgage taking more than 50 percent of your gross household income?

Do you need assistance to help repair your credit?

Do you believe you have been the victim of Fair Housing laws?

Do you want to buy a house?

Are you interested in learning about the Habitat for Humanity application process?

Are you homeless or about to be homeless?

Are you low-income and in need of legal assistance?

Is someone in your household a veteran with housing issues?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you can get some expert advice on those issues for free by calling (706) 529-4444 on Tuesday from 1 to 6 p.m. Fifteen lines will be set up to answer calls and if all are busy the call will roll into an answering machine, so please leave a message and the first available volunteer will return your call.

It’s all part of a special event titled “Call to Connect,” which is being sponsored by several agencies, including the Dalton-Whitfield Community Development Corp., Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Wells Fargo, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and HUD’s Fair Housing, and National Council of La Raza.

This opportunity to help area residents would not happen without dedicated volunteers from Dalton Utilities, Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, DOC-UP (Dalton Organization of Churches United for People), Dalton Public Schools, Dalton Housing Authority, Chattanooga Food Bank, Murray County Family Connection, United Way-211, Action Ministries and the Georgia Legal Services Program.

“The thinking behind this is that some people who need various resources either literally do not know where to go for assistance or don’t like to be seen in public asking for financial help, so this way they can get help over the phone and no one sees them,” said Gaile Jennings, director of the Dalton-Whitfield Community Development Corp.

She says that Call to Connect will also be a help to disabled residents who find it hard to get out, as well as residents who may be struggling financially and can’t afford transportation to a physical site.

“But if we can talk to them on the phone and get their information and mail them the appropriate application, then they just have to make an appointment time and are immediately taken back to our office instead of making several trips,” Jennings said. “That way, nobody sees them, or knows what their particular issue pertains to, so that’s the psychological side of the program.”

Lots of information about the many programs that could potentially help residents who are struggling financially will be available, according to Jennings.

“The Housing Authority, Dalton and Whitfield and Murray counties have been awarded $1.2 million in housing rehab grants coming here later this year,” she said. “When folks call in to us on Aug. 12, we can tell them if they meet the basic eligibility requirements and to be watching for more information about applying for these grants towards the end of the year.”

If people are paying more than 50 percent of their gross income on their mortgage, the Community Development Corp. will work with them on a mortgage loan modification to lower the payments, Jennings said.

“If they are renting and having trouble paying, we need to steer them to income-based housing,” she said.

Likewise, if someone is struggling with housing costs, they probably are struggling with all their bills, which could include medicines, Jennings said.

“We have a newly updated 211 Community Resource Guide that lists every single resource in Whitfield and Murray County by category, and we’ll have that with us during Call to Connect,” she said. “If they are facing foreclosures, we’ve got an intake form for that. If they need help with utilities, we’re going to refer them to Salvation Army, DOC-UP or a couple of other agencies. We’ve got an emergency shelter program, we’ve got a short-term housing program, we’ve got our foreclosure prevention program and we’ve got pre-purchase counseling to help people properly prepare to buy a house. And if you’re elderly, you can even get your medicine low cost from Medbank.”

In addition, limited on-site assistance will also be available on Tuesday from 1 to 6 p.m. at the Mack Gaston Community Center in Dalton, 218 N. Fredrick St., for Right from the Start Medicaid; Women, Infants and Children (WIC) programs; and Food Stamp (SNAP) applications, including questions about terminations, denials and reviews.