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Community Development

Community Development is comprised of a variety of areas that impact the stability and growth of neighborhoods and local communities, particularly low and moderate income neighborhoods and communities of color. The stability of our local communities are affected by how banks and other financial institutions invest in our communities and consumer access to affordable housing, including affordable rents or mortgages, as well as affordable homeowners’ or renters’ insurance. This section of the website provides information, resources and ways Empire Justice Center is working to assure access to housing and credit that brings stability to our communities.

ARTICLES

Down Payment Rules Are at Heart of Mortgage Debate
It seemed an easy fix to prevent the excesses of the housing market: make home buyers put more money down. But as the housing market starts to return and the subprime mess fades from memory, the issue is up for debate. Read More

CUOMO ADMINISTRATION SETTLES WITH COUNTRY’S LARGEST FORCE-PLACED INSURER
Settlement with Assurant Includes Restitution for Homeowners, a $14 Million Penalty, and Industry-leading Reforms Read More


IN THE NEWS

Many Long Island Communities Face Long Term Impact of Foreclosures
Study identifies hardest hit towns and strategies to keep families in their homes and limit damage to the local tax base. Read More


LI's minority enclaves hit hard by foreclosure
Long Island communities with the highest concentrations of houses slated for foreclosure are also the neighborhoods where many black and Hispanic residents live, reflecting a disproportionate impact of the housing crisis for minority groups, according to a new study of foreclosure warning notices sent by banks. Read More


POLICY ADVOCACY

Empire Justice Comments to Regulators: Make Needed Comprehensive Changes to CRA Rules
Empire Justice's response to proposed changes to the Interagency Question and Answer (Q&A) document. Read More


Memorandum of Support: Amend Social Services Law § 106 to Protect the Homes of Welfare Recipients
New York is one of only two states in the nation that takes deeds and mortgages against the homes of welfare recipients to recover the public assistance paid to these homeowners. This bill would exempt persons who own and reside in one, two or three family homes from this archaic provision. If the goal of New York’s public assistance policy is to restore individuals to self-sufficiency, then it is time to pass this bill! Read More



PUBLICATIONS

The Long Island Foreclosure Crisis: Stabilizing the communities most impacted by foreclosures in Nassau and Suffolk Counties
Study identifies hardest hit towns and strategies to keep families in their homes and limit damage to the local tax base. Read More

 

Paying More for the American Dream VI
This report examines systemic inequities in the mortgage market, as reflected in neighborhood lending patterns based on race and ethnicity. The authors analyzed 2010 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data, and compared conventional and government-backed prime mortgage lending in seven U.S. cities, based on borrowers’ race and ethnicity and the racial and ethnic composition of neighborhoods. Read More

 

NEWSLETTERS

Policy Matters - February 2013
As we draft this issue of Policy Matters, we are about to begin the sprint to a final state budget - possibly earlier than ever before. As you may have guessed, much of our work since our last email has been focused on budget issues. However, as you can see, we have other irons on the fire as well! Read More


TRAININGS AND EVENTS

Representing Homeowners at Mandatory Settlement Conferences
Mandatory settlement conferences are now an integral component to the foreclosure process for subprime loans. The governor has signed a new law that expands the settlement conferences to all residential loans. Pro Bono lawyers have been approved to represent homeowners for the limited capacity of these settlement conferences. This training addresses important considerations for lawyers willing to represent homeowners in this capacity. Read More

New Approaches to Stabilizing Homeowners and Communities in Western NY
This taped broadcast is geared towards housing counselors, legal services organizations, lenders, public officials, community-based organizations, and anyone who is concerned with the impact of the foreclosure crisis on homeowners and neighborhoods in the western part of the State. Discussion topics include information about housing counseling standards, specialized foreclosure trainings, State programs addressing the foreclosure issue, and successful approaches to reducing foreclosures, among other topics. Read More