Ready to Rent provides participants with the information and resources to gain approval to rent safe and affordable housing. While 15 participants have already registered for this event, there is still room for 5 more.

Instruction will include information regarding landlord rights and responsibilities as well as tenant rights and responsibilities. We will cover budgeting and savings tips. Finally, participants will learn how their credit is scored. This is an important step towards repairing credit, as they will find out which accounts to begin with. Some participants find that some accounts can be removed for free, while others discover which negative accounts they should focus on first.

The Ready to Rent workshop series also partners with area landlords who participate in the program. Wake County Supportive Housing currently links qualifying applicants with more than 80 housing communities located throughout Wake County, many of which specialize in lower income requirements, subsidized rent and second chance credit programs.

When

Monday through Thursday, April 18-21, 2011 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

Where

AA Thompson Center, 567 East Hargett Street, Raleigh, NC 27601.

Register

Preregistration is required. A $25 fee may be paid to Wake County Supportive Housing which is due along with a completed application. Please contact Sharon Gibson with Wake County Supportive Housing at 919-856-5277 to register.

Location

Time

6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Contact

For more information about the Ready to Rent workshop series as well as registration information for future classes, contact Sharon Gibson of Wake County Human Services at 919-856-5277.

The credit course will be held at the South Wilmington Street Center in downtown Raleigh.  The class will be held on August 24th at 3:00 pm.

For more information and to register, contact Jimmie Watson with the Wake County Supportive Housing Program at 919-856-5710.

Time:

Location:

The workshops will introduce you to the components that affect your credit score.  Several credit scoring myths will also be addressed.

Times and Locations:

First Workshop: Wednesday, August 19, 2009, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.  For more information or to register, contact Terrie Deal with the Wake County Supportive Housing Program at 919-231-5957. This workshop is hosted by the A.A. Thompson Center:

Second Workshop: Wednesday, August 19, 2009, 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. To register, contact Sharon Gibson at 919-231-5957 with the Wake County Supportive Housing Program. This workshop is hosted by Hollenden Place Apartments:

The class, along with the rest of the Ready to Rent workshops, will be held at the South Wilmington Street Center (see below for address).  The credit class will be held Wednesday, July 29, at 9:00 am.

The workshop will introduce you to the factors that determine your credit score and address several myths about what can improve and what can damage your credit.  Come learn why your credit is important, and how you can improve your score as much as possible.

Time:

Wednesday, July 29, 2009
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Location:

For more information and to register for the class, contact Jimmie Watson with the Wake County Supportive Housing Program at 919-856-5710.

Instead of repeatedly being denied decent housing because of negative credit marks in the past, you can get back on track to safe and affordable housing. The Ready to Rent program provides the following benefits for participants:

• Learn tenant rights and responsibilities
• Learn landlord rights and responsibilities
• Find out how to fix your own bad credit
• Get referrals for affordable housing

If you have had a history of credit problems or evictions, you might be able to get back on track with a little help.

Time:

1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Location:

The 3 hour credit class will be provided by Vision Credit Education. Addition instruction focuses on budget and saving as well as on rental basics. To register, call Sharon Gibson with the Wake County Supportive Housing Program at 919-231-5957.

The Ready to Rent series combines tenant education with consumer training. Participants that complete the workshop series are better prepared to make good financial decisions, understand their credit reports and make progress toward improving their credit.

Tenant education focuses on the rights and responsibilities of tenants and their landlords. Participants find out what to do to resolve conflicts over perceived breaches in their rental contracts.

Segments on budgeting and saving helps tenants prepare for unexpected expenses and recurring costs so that they can make sure their rent is paid on time each month. An emergency fund can be established with just a few dollars a week, which can quickly reach over $100 that can be used for emergency expenses.

Anyone with damaged credit or a history of evictions can benefit from this class because of the focus on credit repair. We teach how you can repair your own credit rather than use expensive credit repair companies. An improved credit score can improve your approval chances when submitting a rental application.

Time

Wednesday, June 10 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Location

To register for the event, please contact Terrie Deal with the Wake County Supportive Housing Program at 919-231-5954 or 919-856-5270.

Several guests will be featured as a part of the 1-day class. Vision Credit will be providing a segment in cooperation with Fiscal Progress that is designed to take the mystery out of the homebuying process.

Freddie Mac designed the Get the Facts! curriculum to help ease confusion that often accompanies the various steps of buying a home. This brief presentation will be followed by a question and answer session.

The Get the Facts! seminar answers many questions often posed by first-time homebuyers. In addition,  many of the myths often circulating in the community are debunked. We will field questions that participants have and will make recommendations based on their unique situations.

If you or someone you know is thinking about buying a home, this could be a good course to attend prior to making a purchase. It is also recommended for previous homeowners that may have faced foreclosure or other serious action.

Date and Time:

Saturday, June 6, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Location:

To register, contact Tarin Washington with The Women’s Center at 919-968-4610.

Residents as well as men who utilize services at the South Wilmington Street Center are welcome to register for the workshop series, which is conducted several times each year. This particular series is held in the evening to accommodate those who are working during traditional business hours.

In addition to segments on tenant rights and responsibilities, participants will find out how to order their credit reports and understand what steps they may take to improve their credit. Even bad credit can be improved by taking a few steps. Budgeting and saving are also included in the series.

Many previous participants were amazed at how much information showed up on their credit reports. They were relieved to discover that some of their negative records could be improved by paying them off or having incorrect information expunged.

Time

Monday, May 18 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Location

Jimmie Watson of Wake County Human Services is accepting registrations for the Ready to Rent Workshops at the South Wilmington Street Center. To register, contact Jimmie at 919-856-5710.

If you have experienced financial difficulties, there is a good chance that your credit has suffered. If you have neglected your credit, you could be missing out on a lot of opportunities. Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?

• Denied a loan
• Paying 25% on a car loan
• Passed over for a job opportunity
• Unable to pass a landlord credit check

Even if you rely mostly on paying cash, damaged credit could affect you in many ways you never thought of such as higher insurance rates. In fact, you could even be denied a life insurance policy simply because you have poor credit.

I will be providing a breakdown of how your credit scores are calculated so that you can identify which records in your credit report are causing the most damage. I will also show you how you can dispute inaccurate items.

Time:

6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on April 23, 2009

Location:

To register, call Tarin Washington with The Women’s Center at 919-968-4610. Class participants are also eligible to sign up for a free 45-minute credit review session on Thursday, April 30.