Richmond, VA - Last night, former governor and U.S. Senate candidate Tim Kaine attended a public action meeting of Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE), a coalition of faith communities in Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park committed to dealing with the negative impacts of the foreclosure crisis in their communities.
Following a policy briefing from VOICE leaders, Kaine joined nearly 1,000 residents at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Woodbridge to address the effects of the housing and foreclosure crisis in the Prince William area. Kaine heard the stories of those who have lost their homes or have seen a decline in property values as the result of abusive and predatory lending practices, leading to an unacceptable level of foreclosures and underwater mortgages in the region.
“Though Virginia has slowly climbed out of the depths of the mortgage and foreclosure crisis, it is clear there is still much more to be done to rebuild many of our communities and hold accountable those who engaged in abusive lending practices,” said Kaine. “As senator, I will partner with great community organizations like VOICE to work with financial institutions with the goals of keeping more Virginians in their homes, mitigating the negative effects of foreclosures on our communities, and ensuring appropriate protections for consumers and homeowners.”
Following the recognition of guests including Kaine, U.S. Senator Mark Warner introduced Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Shaun Donovan. Secretary Donovan spoke about the consumer protections that are taking effect as a result of the mortgage fraud settlement between states and the five largest mortgage servicers. He also committed to a Prince William-specific Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan sale as part of HUD’s efforts to stabilize communities and avoid unnecessary foreclosures in the Prince William area.
VOICE is a broad-based coalition of 48 religious and civic organizations representing 125,000 families in Northern Virginia.
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