Housing foreclosure forum to take place

Sherry Ahrentzen, interim director and associate director of research at the ASU Stardust Center for Affordable Homes and the Family at Arizona State University, will add her perspective to a Housing Foreclosure Forum on Saturday that features Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts and Congressman Ed Pastor of Arizona.

Ahrentzen will address how foreclosures have affected neighborhoods. Many subdivisions and neighborhoods today have only a handful of families and numerous empty homes.

“It’s a miserable, sometimes scary situation,” Ahrentzen says. “We need to attack this problem in multiple ways, including a focus on revitalizing these desolate neighborhoods.”

The Housing Foreclosure Forum will provide an opportunity for stakeholders and practitioners to talk about housing experiences with members of Congress.

As the chairperson for the Financial Services Committee, Congressman Franks has taken a leadership role on the mortgage and housing crises. Key stakeholders in the housing crisis will be present such as lending organizations, financial institutions and realtors.

The Housing Foreclosure Forum takes place from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 1, at the Virginia C. Piper Auditorium at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix in partnership with Arizona State University, 550 E. Van Buren Street. It is open to students, practitioners and stakeholders. Information: (602) 256-0551.