Wednesday, March 24, 2010 | 9:44 a.m.
North Las Vegas announced this week that it received $677,700 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help families facing foreclosure.
The money will help about 400 families from falling into foreclosure, city spokeswoman Juliet Casey said.
“The intent is to provide a cushion,” she said.
Families and individuals can receive aid through the program for up to 12 months, but not everyone will need it for that entire time, she said.
The program is meant to help people who have lost their jobs or can’t make their payments. The money can be used for rent assistance, utility costs, moving costs – anything related to the transition into a new home or that helps someone save their current home.
During 2009, about one in 15 homes in North Las Vegas were in foreclosure, Casey said.
According to a release from the city, families that qualify could be those that have lost jobs and are struggling to pay bills while on unemployment. To qualify, a family needs to be homeless, at risk of becoming homeless or facing eviction.
A family must have an income that is at or below 50 percent of the area’s median income. In North Las Vegas, for a family of three, that means that they would need to make less than $2,454 each month.
North Las Vegas has received about $8.5 million through the government’s federal stabilization program, Casey said. The money has gone toward preventing foreclosures and refurbishing neighborhoods that have suffered large numbers of foreclosures.
Families that want to apply for assistance can contact Help of Southern Nevada, 217-2445; HopeLink in Henderson, 566-0576; Lutheran Social Services, 639-1730; or the City of Las Vegas, 229-4273.
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