DETROIT – With nearly 200 attendees crowding the room, State Representative Bert Johnson (D-Detroit) hosted a "Save Our Homes" town hall meeting yesterday at the Farwell Recreation Center. Also joining Johnson were State Representatives Shanelle Jackson (D-Detroit) and Coleman Young (D-Detroit), House Majority Floor Leader Steve Tobocman (D-Detroit), and State Senators Buzz Thomas (D-Detroit) and Hansen Clarke (D-Detroit).
"In the current economic climate, working families are struggling to hang on to homes they bought when interest rates were low and good-paying jobs were more plentiful," Johnson said. "With the sub-prime loan market bottoming out, we can expect that number to get worse. During May, Detroit was already ranked eighth highest among U.S. cities in home foreclosures. This is a dire situation – the legislature must work together to help these families keep their homes."
Making presentations at the forum were Detroit Legal Aid Defender and ACORN. The legislators also heard testimony from residents who are facing foreclosure.
Johnson said that in the coming weeks, he and other members of the Detroit caucus will draft legislation pertaining to predatory lending, foreclosure protection and other related issues.
"I want to thank our residents who took the time to come down and tell us what they're going through," Johnson said. "People who invest in owning their own homes contribute to a community's stability. Skyrocketing foreclosure rates aren't just bad for the affected families, they're bad for the entire city, and, ultimately, Michigan as a whole."