In this difficult economic environment, you may be a victim of a plant closing or cutbacks in hours or number of workers. Our agency may be able to help you in several ways:
Budget Counseling
We can help you prepare a budget that can fit your reduced income, and point out the least painful ways to save money or modify your lifestyle. It's important to make those changes now, before you drain your dwindling savings reserve.
Credit Counseling
We can help you manage your credit card bills with a Debt Management Plan, explain how your credit will be affected by missed payments, and outline a strategy for minimizing that credit damage and repairing it when your former income is restored.
Housing Counseling
If your mortgage payment is in jeopardy due to your job loss, we can help you work with your lender in qualifying for programs that they may have. We can walk you through the creation of a hardship letter, preparation of supporting documents, and examine your closing documents for hints of predatory lending practices.
Federal and State Mortgage Relief Programs
We can review your situation and tell you if you can qualify for any of the variety of rescue programs that have been enacted through legislation. Our agency administers one specific program, through the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, that provides deferred bridge loans to allow the unemployed to become current on their mortgage.
Workshops and Education
We offer a variety of public classes that deal with budget, credit, and other financial issues. If your workplace offers outplacement services, alert your HR department, and they can arrange to have us come out to your location for a seminar or private counseling sessions.
Community Referrals
While going through this difficult time, we can refer you to services at JobLink, networking groups in the community, and sources of financial assistance for cases of extreme hardship.
Bankruptcy Counseling
If you believe your financial situation is beyond help through regular counseling, we can discuss the suitability of bankruptcy and the negative effects on your credit and financial life. For a small fee, we do offer the counseling certificate required for a bankruptcy filing, and we are "approved to issue certificates in compliance with the Bankruptcy Code. Approval does not endorse or assure the quality of an Agency's services."
Don't hesitate! Our counseling services are free. Contact us today to make an appointment. Call 821-1770 or send an e-mail with your name, address, daytime telephone number, and desired times for appointments.
