March 30, 2011
fo r ila nò ©baerüer HOUSING special edition
Page 7
Natural Gardening Workshops Offered
Just in time for planting season, toxic methods to grow a garden that's gram and local gardening stores,
offers eight different workshops at
Metro regional government is be­ beautiful, abundant and safe for the workshops also offers free $5-
more than 60 sites for beginning and
ginning its free natural gardening children, pets, rivers and wildlife.
off coupons good at 36 local retail­ experienced natural gardeners.
workshops.
In partnership with Oregon State ers and apply to compost, native
"Growing organic edible plants
The one to two hour classes teach University Extension Service's Com­ plants and hand weeding tools.
is one of the hottest topics in gar­
participants how to use natural, non­ munity and Urban Horticulture pro­
The natural gardening program dening right now," Metro natural
gardening program manager Carl
Grimm said.
For a complete listing o f upcom­
ing workshops and registration in­
formation, call Metro's Recycling
information hotline at 503-234-3000.
Mortgage
Payment
Challenges
Struggling
customers
modify their
lending terms
W ells Fargo's two-day home
preservation w orkshop at the O r­
egon Convention Center in Port­
land last month attracted 393 mort­
gage custom ers who are strug­
gling with paym ent challenges.
About 25 percent who attended
the event walked out with a m odi­
fication of some type; that figure
is expected to clim b to about 66
percent in the com ing weeks as
W ells Fargo continues to work
with the attendees to resolve their
issues.
"I left in tears of happiness.
This changed my life and kept me
in my home. Everyone was very
know ledgeable and courteous,"
said one custom er. "You did so
good, way above w hat 1 e x ­
pected," said another. "Everyone
was at their peak of perfection!
Couldn't have asked for anything
better," said a third.
One hundred Wells Fargo home
retention team m em bers flew in
from other states to meet one-on-
one with local custom ers in pri­
vate settings. They discussed the
c u s to m e rs ' fin a n c ia l c irc u m ­
stances and payment options in
regards to 446 loans (some cus­
tomers have more than one loan).
W ells Fargo also invited local
non-profit housing agencies to
attend to help counsel and assist
hom eowners.
"For custom ers struggling with
their home paym ents, we have
avoided foreclosure for about
three-quarters of those who are
60 days or more past due and who
chose to work with us," said O r­
egon R egional P resident Don
Pearson. "The Home Preservation
W orkshops are one of the rea­
sons for that success. Less than 2
percent of the loans secured by
ow ner-occupied homes and ser­
viced by W ells Fargo proceeded
to a foreclosure sale in the last 12
m onths."
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