Free seminars assist homeowners, would-be buyers

For Immediate Release Nov. 20, 2009

Media Contact:
Veronica Villegas
Communications Officer
817-392-6178 (office)
817-692-1609 (cell)

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Patricia Roberts Harris National Fair Housing Training Academy will present free mortgage lending seminars to address foreclosures and deceptive practices.

The seminars are open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Both seminars will be at the Renaissance Worthington Hotel, 200 Main St.

Preventing Foreclosure will be presented from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Dec. 7-9. Participants will engage in hands-on activities that help buyers understand the steps to sustainable homeownership.

The class is recommended for housing professionals, housing counselors and home buyers.

Buyer Beware will be presented from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Dec. 10 and 11. Participants will engage in hands-on activities that help them identify and avoid deceptive practices that impair homeownership.

This class is recommended for housing professionals, counselors and homebuyers.

To learn more, call 202-314-3422 or visit www.nfhta.org.

Mayor Moncrief proclaims Friday ‘Go Purple Day’

Media contact:
Jason Lamers
Public Information Officer
817-392-6248 (office)
817-999-8467 (cell)

For Immediate Release Nov. 11, 2009

Mayor Mike Moncrief has proclaimed Friday, Nov. 13, “Go Purple Day” in Fort Worth.

All residents are encouraged to wear purple on Friday to show their support for the undefeated TCU Horned Frogs football team as they head into a key matchup with Utah on Saturday.

Landmarks in Fort Worth — including the Avenue of Lights on West Lancaster Avenue, the Chesapeake Energy headquarters and several downtown tower buildings — will be awash in purple lights this weekend.

“Coach [Gary] Patterson and his team have placed Fort Worth on the national stage, and we are all very proud,” Moncrief said. “We were thrilled to learn that ESPN’s College GameDay is coming to TCU this weekend for the game versus Utah. Everyone at TCU has been working hard to reach this point and to show everyone what makes TCU so special.

“Saturday’s game is not just another unique opportunity to highlight this great university, but also the great city of Fort Worth,” Moncrief said. “I encourage all local employers and citizens to support this day by wearing purple. Let’s show our visitors from Utah we are ready and have our game faces on, as well as our colors.”

TCU (9-0, 5-0 in Mountain West Conference) sits at No. 4 in the Bowl Championship Series standings, the highest BCS ranking ever for a team from a conference without an automatic BCS bid. TCU is attempting to finish the regular season undefeated for the first time since 1938.

TCU and No.14 Utah kick off at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in Amon G. Carter Stadium on the TCU campus. The game is sold out.

Human Relations Commission proposal set for Council vote

For Immediate Release Nov. 6, 2009

A proposal to amend the city's anti-discrimination ordinance to prohibit discrimination based on transgender, gender identity or gender expression will be considered by the City Council during its regular meeting on Tuesday. The existing ordinance prohibits discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodation based on sex, race, national origin, age, disability, religion, color and sexual orientation.

“Fort Worth has always taken the lead when it comes to recognizing the inherent value of each of its residents,” said Estrus Tucker, chairman of the city’s Human Relations Commission. “Over the past four decades, the HRC has worked to make the city more inclusive through various amendments to the ordinance. What better way to ensure that Fort Worth remains an open and inclusive community than to guarantee that no one will be discriminated against than to prohibit discrimination based on transgender, gender identity or gender expression? It’s the right thing to do.”

Fort Worth was one of the first cities in the state to adopt an anti-discrimination ordinance. The original ordinance, approved in 1967, also resulted in the creation of the Human Relations Commission — the first such municipal body in the state. Throughout its 42-year history, the commission has recommended amendments to the ordinance to prohibit discrimination against people who live and work in Fort Worth.

The proposal to extend the protection in the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance has been endorsed by the City Manager’s Diversity Task Force. It was one of 20 task force recommendations presented to the City Council during its last meeting and is the only recommendation that the City Council will consider at its Nov. 10 meeting. Only two other task force recommendations require further review and study before implementation: equal access to employee benefits and coverage for gender identification disorder treatments.

Learn about proposed special-events ordinance

For Immediate Release Oct. 15, 2009

Media Contact:
Amy Casas
Communications Officer
817-392-7220 (office)
817-944-8071 (cell)

FORT WORTH, Texas — A Special Events Advisory Committee has been meeting for several months to discuss and recommend policies and procedures related to festivals, parades, runs, walks, block parties and large private events. The public can provide input on the proposed special-events ordinance at 6 p.m. Oct. 26 at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden Center, 3220 Botanic Garden Blvd.

The committee has outlined significant issues that will be recommended for inclusion in the ordinance and establish the city's authority on topics such as event approval, scheduling, appropriate locations, temporary fencing and the scale and duration of events.

The proposed ordinance and committee recommendations will be presented to the City Council once the committee completes its work.

To learn more, call 817-392-6594.

Free seminars provide mortgage lending education

For Immediate Release Oct. 8, 2009

Media Contact
Veronica Villegas
Communications Officer
817-392-6178 (office)
817-353-2287 (mobile)

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Patricia Roberts Harris National Fair Housing Training Academy will present free mortgage lending seminars in Fort Worth to address fraudulent, predatory and unfair lending practices.

The seminars are open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.

Mortgage Lending Discrimination and Predatory Lending will be presented from 8:30 a.m.-4:15 p.m. Oct. 26 and 27. Participants will be provided practical training using actual loan documents to acquire an understanding of residential mortgage lending discrimination and predatory lending.

The class is recommended for housing and real estate professionals, housing counselors and all others whose business requires this knowledge.

Financial Aspects of Lending will be presented from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Oct. 28-30. Participants engage in hands-on activities that help them understand the different steps to sustainable home ownership and gain an understanding of the mortgage finance system.

This class is recommended for housing professionals, counselors and homebuyers.

Both seminars will be at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel, 1300 Houston St.

Seminars will be offered in English with Spanish interpretation available upon request at registration.

To learn more, call 202-314-3422 or visit the National Fair Housing Training Academy Web site.

Half-price adoptions offered all month long

For Immediate Release Oct. 2, 2009

Media Contact:
Bill Begley
Communications Officer
Office: 817-392-6705
Cell: 817-992-6269

In recognition of Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month, all adoptions at the Animal Care and Control Center through October will be half-price. Dogs can be adopted for $35 and cats for $25. Spay/neuter surgery, microchip, rabies vaccination and a city pet license are included in the price.

Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month will be recognized by proclamation during the Oct. 6 Fort Worth City Council meeting at City Hall, 1000 Throckmorton St. The Animal Care and Control Center’s mobile adoption unit will be at City Hall during the council meeting, with dogs and cats available for adoption.

Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month already is recognized nationally by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Also, as of Oct. 1, any pet adopted by a senior citizen (65 and older) is half-price every day.

Each year, more than 20,000 homeless or lost pets come through the Animal Care and Control Center. Though many find happy, loving homes, an estimated 55 percent of the adoptable animals must be euthanized due to overpopulation.

To learn more about pet adoptions or if you are interested in volunteering with the center, call 817-392-PAWS (7297), e-mail animalvolunteers@fortworthgov.org, or visit www.FortWorthGov.org/animals.

$3.9 Million Dollars Available for Local Homeless Services

For Immediate Release Oct. 1, 2009

Media Contact
Otis Thornton
Homelessness Coordinator
City of Fort Worth
Cell: 682-432-4503

FORT WORTH — More than $3.9 million in funding is available to help Fort Worth’s homeless population.

The City of Fort Worth, United Way of Tarrant County and the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition (TCHC) announced today the availability of funds to eligible applicants for providing homeless services. Applications for multiple programs from federal, state and local sources have been consolidated into a single funding announcement to better align community funding priorities and the strategic allocation of resources.

The city was advised by the public and the Mayor's Advisory Commission on Homelessness on the development of funding priorities for the Directions Home and Homeless Housing and Services Program (HHSP). The City of Fort Worth and its partner agencies are working to make homelessness a rare, short-term and non-recurring experience in the city by 2018 through the Directions Home program.

Funding is available from four programs:

1. City of Fort Worth Directions Home Program
2. City of Fort Worth/TDHCA Homeless Housing and Services Program (HHSP)
3. HUD Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Programs (Permanent Housing Bonus)
4. Tarrant County Homeless Coalition/Fannie Mae Supportive Housing Development Coordination

The budget details funding opportunities for which community- and faith-based organizations and governmental entities may apply. Highlights include:

• 24 new housing vouchers coupled with high-intensity supportive services will be added to 200 ongoing housing vouchers from Program Year I (PYI)
• Two additional behavioral health specialists to help tenants in supportive housing retain housing and increase self-sufficiency
• Four additional shelter-based case managers
• Two additional job specialists to help with tenant-based and re-entry focused employment efforts
• A new housing placement specialist to assist homeless people in locating low-cost housing options
• New mobile street engagement team that will connect unsheltered homeless with needed services

As a service to the community, the United Way of Tarrant County manages the distribution of funds for the Directions Home and Homeless Housing and Services Programs on behalf of the City of Fort Worth. Therefore, funds for these two programs share an application process.

Funding priorities in 2010 include:

Directions Home PY II

• Negotiated PY I Contract Renewals
  • Permanent Supportive Housing Voucher Program
  • Voucher-linked Supportive Services
  • Mental Health and Substance Abuse Program
  • Shelter-based Case Management
  • Continuum of Care Planning, Development, Coordination and Implementation
  • Independent Evaluator
  • Job Specialist (Project WISH)
• Competitive Allocation
  • Consolidate and Expand Direct Service Fund (Move-in, Critical Documents and Case Management)
  • Storage Capacity
• Project Homeless Connect

Homeless Housing and Services Program (HHSP)

• Competitive Allocation
  • Permanent Supportive Housing Voucher Program Expansion
  • Voucher-linked Supportive Services Expansion
  • Tenant-based Supportive Services
  • Shelter-based Case Management Program Expansion
  • Job Specialist with preference for Re-entry and Tenant-based Services
  • Housing Specialist
  • Assertive Street Support & Engagement Team
• Project Homeless Connect

Part One: Directions Home and Homeless Housing and Services Program

Part Two: HUD Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Programs (Permanent Housing Bonus)

Part Three: Tarrant County Homeless Coalition (Fannie Mae) Supportive Housing Development Program