September 26, 2008

Charlotte, NC -- The City of Charlotte, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership, Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte and Self-Help are hosting a Peachtree Hills Neighborhood Preservation Kick-off Event on Wednesday, October 1, at noon.

The kick-off will take place at the community park located on Peach Place Lane in Charlotte's Peachtree Hills neighborhood.

The Neighborhood Preservation Program (NPP) is a collaborative effort to lessen the impact of foreclosures on hard-hit families and neighborhoods by converting vacant houses into family homes. The program includes purchasing foreclosed properties, making needed repairs, and leasing or selling the homes to qualified individuals.

Charlotte's Peachtree Hills neighborhood is the site for the initial pilot program. There are 178 homes in Peachtree Hills, and approximately 25% are in some stage of foreclosure. This program focuses not only on the homes but also on the neighborhood. Self-Help, Habitat, The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership and the City of Charlotte are working from a comprehensive plan to focus on additional services, such as landscaping, outdoor maintenance, financial literacy, pre-purchase counseling, credit counseling and safety.

In addition to conventional sales, the program is targeting individuals who are on the verge of or have suffered a recent foreclosure. The Neighborhood Preservation Program's lease-purchase option will give them another chance at homeownership while rebuilding the vitality of the surrounding community.

For more information, contact:
David Beck, Self-Help, 919 956-4495 david.beck@self-help.org
Stephanie Small, City of Charlotte, 704-336-2929 ssmall@ci.charlotte.nc.us

Directions:
From Downtown Charlotte - Take I-77N toward Statesville. Take the Sunset Road West Exit, Exit 16B. Merge onto Sunset Road.

From Durham - Take 85 South toward Charlotte. Merge onto I-77N via Exit 38 toward Statesville. Take the Sunset Road West exit, Exit 16B. Merge onto Sunset Rd. Turn left onto Peachtree Rd. Turn left onto Crandon, then left onto Peach Place Lane. Park on left.