CEDAM blog

My name is Jennifer Showerman. I am serving as an AmeriCorps member at the Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency (OLHSA) in the Community Economic Services department. Within our department we assist with foreclosure prevention, financial management education, homebuyer education and free tax services. Our goal is to help families while changing their lives.

I came to OLHSA a couple of years ago as a work-study student through my university. Through that position I learned how OLHSA has assisted our community for decades. I was excited seek a position that allowed me to continue working with OLHSA and I learned of a position helping with foreclosure. I was eager to help my community with housing issues as I myself have had similar struggles. This led me to becoming an AmeriCorps member. I am now part of an even bigger group who focuses on serving and educating families across Michigan. This opportunity has helped me fulfill a need in myself.

On a daily basis I can be found buried in a pile of papers with a to-do list a mile long. There is never an end to the need. I am contacting clients to set up appointments to discuss how we can assist them with their housing needs. Some clients need a little bit of extra time to tell their story. After hearing their stories, letting them know what we need to see from them and how we can help, they often thank me
and say they already feel less stressed about their situation. By letting them know that we understand their crisis and can help navigate them, they feel much less alone and scared. The sigh of relief makes the piles of papers and mile long to-do list worth it everyday. I am proud to say that I am an AmeriCorps member!

Jennifer Showerman is an AmeriCorps member at Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency in Howell.

This post is part of a blog series highlighting the viewpoints of Michigan AmeriCorps Foreclosure Prevention Corps members serving at different foreclosure host sites around Michigan. View information about the program or see more stories in this series.

After successfully completing an AmeriCorps service at Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley during 2010 to 2011 service year, I wanted to continue to gain experience in the field of affordable housing, which led to my decision to join Community Housing Network (CHN) for the AmeriCorps Foreclosure Prevention position. During my first few weeks at CHN, I made it a goal to learn as much as I could about the foreclosure process, since it was an entirely new professional field for me. After spending a few weeks learning about foreclosure, my site supervisor decided it would be a great idea for me to perform community outreach about our foreclosure program in cities around the Wayne County, which is one of the country’s hardest hit.

During my first days of outreach, I was able to meet with mayors, city managers, and other high-level government officials and speak to them about our foreclosure program. In many situations the officials didn’t seem interested in learning about our program, but I was proven wrong when the Livonia Housing Commission called us, at the request of the Mayor of Livonia, about our interest in partnering with them on foreclosure prevention counseling. After a face-to-face meeting with the director of the Livonia Housing Commission, I felt confident that I could thoroughly discuss our foreclosure program with anyone that requests information. A few weeks after meeting with the director of the Livonia Housing Commission, I was able to meet Michigan State Senator Tupac Hunter during one of his monthly community meetings, and I gave a quick presentation about our foreclosure prevention program to the senator and others in attendance. In addition to performing community outreach about our program, I have been able to complete foreclosure client intakes, and I am currently working with a homeowner to help him maintain the home that he considers his dream home.

During the next 10 months of my service, my goal is to continue to see positive growth for our foreclosure prevention program serving those in Wayne County, and to successfully launch the foreclosure program serving homeowners in Oakland and Macomb County. I have also taken on the initiative in informing my site supervisor that I am interested in becoming a MSHDA certified counselor and earning my Michigan real-estate license. 2012 is going to be an interesting year.

Paul Stanford is an AmeriCorps member at Community Housing Network in Troy.

This post is part of a blog series highlighting the viewpoints of Michigan AmeriCorps Foreclosure Prevention Corps members serving at different foreclosure host sites around Michigan. View information about the program or see more stories in this series.

 
Since I have been at United Community Housing Coalition (UCHC), I have assisted with both mortgage and tax counseling. Considering the fact that Detroiters have not been working for many, many years (at least not consistently for most), those who have been able to purchase homes did so outright and therefore did not get a mortgage. Much of my work involves tax issues – folks often cannot pay their taxes because the assistance they obtain from the government or past employment is just not enough to live on, let alone use to pay taxes. I have been involved in the intake process, the auction, obtaining of deeds, and I am learning so much about the city of Detroit.

On Saturday, December 10th, I held a workshop (with the assistance of my supervisor Kim) on weatherization for over seventy people and we helped folks apply for assistance. We are hoping it works out so we can keep many folks warm in the future! So many of them are seniors and/or have children in their home and I was happy to be able to help them because they do not know where to go to even apply for such programs. They do not have access to the internet so they rely on us for help.
 
My coworkers as well as clients are such wonderful people and I am so very fortunate to have been placed at this site. There is so much heart in the city of Detroit and I hope all of the AmeriCorps members are having the experience that I am having. When I first started my service I was very much surprised to see the suffering that these folks were going through because I, like most Americans (even Michiganders, sadly), do not know anything about Detroit. These people are not going through a “housing crisis”, they are dealing with being left behind and they need help. They are good people who need another chance at life and happiness. UCHC, along with Michigan Legal Services, busts their behinds to make sure that happens. I am so proud to work with people who see the city (and its people) for what it is and what it can be, and not for the emptiness that most Americans see when they look at Detroit.
 
Ted Phillips, the Executive Director, has been involved with UCHC for many years and I hope someday you get the chance to meet him. There really is no one like him. He has a heart of gold and I have learned a great deal from him. He has been fighting for his community for a very long time as an attorney, and I hope someday to have the selfless type of work ethic that he does. Both Ted and Kim have taught me a great deal about working in a nonprofit and put a lot of trust in me and my work. I do not feel as though I am “the AmeriCorps person” just put here for a year. When I was brought in they were ready to teach me from the beginning and have always expected the best from me. I appreciate that. I feel as though I am part of their team each and every day and I look forward to getting up and heading in to the office each morning!
 
Alright, there is my story, only three months in. I can’t wait to see what awaits me during the next nine months! It’s going to be busy, but I know it will be wonderful.

Katie Gladki is an AmeriCorps member at United Community Housing Coalition. 
This post is part of a blog series highlighting the viewpoints of Michigan Foreclosure Prevention AmeriCorps members serving at different foreclosure host sites around Michigan. View information about the program or see more stories in this series.

In October of 2010, I found myself recently graduated from college, working a minimum wage, horribly dull job. My major was in anthropology and I was stuck reading residential water meters. It was a decent enough job for the summers between school semesters, but not what I had in mind after earning my degree. I knew that I wanted to work for a non-profit organization and help people, but wasn’t sure what kind. I had considered the Peace Corps, which I would have loved because of my background in anthropology, but I spent a lot of time helping my mom take care my grandparents and so did not want to leave the state, let alone the country. I began applying for jobs at various non-profits, but didn’t receive any calls for interviews. I almost gave up until I saw a newspaper ad for an AmeriCorps opportunity which was located not far from my home. I was discouraged, but the thought of working outside, reading water meters during winter in Michigan really motivated me to apply.

Now, I am in my second year in the Michigan Foreclosure Prevention Corps, serving at the MSU Extension in Macomb County. I help our wonderful, overworked, yet dedicated foreclosure counselors in addition to providing intake and triage for new clients. I maintain our agency’s client referrals in the Step Forward portal and am responsible for making that first contact to homeowners who may have been declined from the Hardest Hit program. I am also proud this year to represent my AmeriCorps program in Michigan’s LeaderCorps, a statewide effort to promote AmeriCorps and service in general.

Of course things often turn stressful given the uncertainties many homeowners face, but at the same time this has allowed me to greatly improve my people skills. I am now more comfortable in difficult situations and have gained some much-needed confidence in my abilities. Whether it’s helping a homeowner who has a sheriff’s sale scheduled next week, or just guiding a caller in the right direction, I actually feel like I know what I’m doing. Unlike past jobs, I feel that my service is both helpful and valuable. It has been a very constructive and satisfying experience, personally as well as professionally. At a time in my life when it seemed like nothing was going my way, I was truly fortunate to have received this opportunity.

Natalie Ciampichini is an AmeriCorps member at the MSU Extension in Macomb County.

This post is part of a blog series highlighting the viewpoints of Michigan AmeriCorps Foreclosure Prevention Corps members serving at different foreclosure host sites around Michigan. View information about the program or see more stories in this series.