NBA All-Stars Take on Miami Foreclosures

Miami Heat basketball star Dwyane Wade and retired Heat center Alonzo Mourning harnessed their celebrity influence Thursday to raise awareness of the foreclosure crisis in Miami and the affordable, certified resources available to struggling homeowners.
The two took part in a roundtable discussion at ""Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida"":http://www.mdnhs.org (NHSSF) to examine the issue of home foreclosure and how it's affecting Miami-Dade communities, followed by a city bus tour. The event was sponsored and organized by the ""HOPE NOW Alliance"":http://www.hopenow.com.
At NHSSF, speaking about the rising number of homeowners faced with losing their homes, Wade said, ""It hurts my heart. I know it hurts everyone's heart in here. I'm here to help bring awareness to this and to let everyone know that there is an opportunity for them, and that there is hope.""
Government and nonprofit organizations, such as ""NeighborWorks America"":http://www.nw.org and the ""Homeownership Preservation Foundation"":http://www.995hope.org, as well as representatives from ""Fannie Mae"":http://www.fanniemae.com and local community leaders also joined the procession and forum. Spanish-speaking members from the participating agencies were available at one of the tour stopovers, which was headlined by local Latino television host Fernando Arau.
Marietta Rodriguez, deputy director for homeownership and lending at NeighborWorks America, says many families in financial distress have trouble finding a reputable, reliable resource to help them stave off foreclosure. ""We want to make finding help easier, and for homeowners at risk of foreclosure to know they can turn to skilled nonprofit foreclosure counselors, whether face-to-face or over the phone, to help them understand their options and identify steps they can take to help save their home,"" Rodriguez said.
Miami was the third stop on HOPE NOW's nationwide ""Bringing Hope Home"" bus tour. Earlier this year, the caravan rolled through Newark, New Jersey, with Queen Latifah and Wyclef Jean, and Atlanta, featuring Mary J. Blige and Big Boi.