Regional News From the AARP Bulletin
Source: AARP.org | November 9, 2006
December 2007
Scam prevention – The D.C. Council was expected in early November to pass the Home Equity Protection Act of 2007, a measure designed to protect homeowners in financial distress from foreclosure rescue scams.
Purportedly designed to save homeowners who have fallen behind on mortgage payments, these "rescues" often transfer the property's title to the supposed rescuer and leave the former homeowner facing eviction. The legislation would outlaw contracts that lead homeowners to unwittingly sign over ownership of their homes while thinking they are signing a loan with better terms. The AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly (LCE) and AARP DC worked closely with Council member Mary Cheh, D, to draft the legislation.
If you think you may have fallen for such a scam, call Anthony Gracey of AARP LCE at 202-434-2085.
November 2007
Mortgage scam – Some District homeowners who thought they were getting a break on their mortgage payments were instead being scammed out of their home equity, according to a lawsuit filed by the D.C. attorney general against Metropolitan Money Store Corp. Attorney General Linda Singer said the Maryland-based company, which advertised a “rescue” plan to homeowners facing foreclosure, stripped more than $2 million in equity from at least 27 D.C. homeowners by persuading them to sign over the deeds to their homes.
AARP DC and the AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly (LCE) alerted the Attorney General’s Office about the scam. In addition, AARP LCE filed an individual consumer protection suit against Metropolitan Money Store. If you may have been a victim of the scam, call Anthony Gracey of AARP LCE at (202)434-2085.
September 2007
Self-protection – District residents who want to guard against identity theft can bring up to two boxes of bills and other documents to a free, secure shredding event on Oct. 3. The event, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the intersection of 14th, Kenyon Street and Park Road NW, half a block north of the Columbia Heights Metro station, is sponsored by AARP DC and District Council members Jim Graham and Mary Cheh. The event will feature a program at 11 a.m. and a drawing to win a personal shredder at 1 p.m.
The D.C. area ranked first in fraud complaints and 16th in identity theft complaints among the country's top 50 metropolitan areas, according to a 2006 federal report.
For more information, call (202) 434-7715.
— Reports by Donya Currie Arias
July 2007
Easy living... Giving new meaning to the term “model home,” AARP DC is working with the city government, Christian Communities Group Homes and Rebuilding Together to showcase redesign features that make homes more accessible. Such features include a no-step entry, wide doorways and hallways, one-story living and grab bars in bathrooms.
The remodeling of a house in the city’s Ward 5, which will be home to five or six low- to moderate-income District residents age 65 and older, should be completed by September 2008, thanks in part to $100,000 in funding from AARP. Helping people continue to live in their homes as they age is an AARP priority supported by 90 percent of District voters age 35 and older, according to a recent survey.
To learn more about “universal design,” visit http://www.aarp.org/families/home_design/.
May 2007
Limits on lenders... Payday loans that now carry an average annual interest rate of 340 percent would be capped at 24 percent under a proposal now before the D.C. Council.
Payday loans, which offer a quick cash advance for a fee and require no borrower qualifications except a job and a checking account, can be financially devastating because of payoff requirements that involve increasingly exorbitant interest rates. Nationally, the average payday borrower renews a loan eight times and pays $793 for a $325 loan.
AARP DC supports the Payday Loan Consumer Protection Act cosponsored in March by D.C. Council members Mary M. Cheh and Marion Barry.
April 2007
Lend a hand... Volunteers are needed to help renovate eight houses throughout the city on May 10, AARP’s national Day of Service. AARP DC is looking for help with yard work, painting, installing grab bars and light fixtures, and repairing walls and front steps. The project requires some expertise, so those with electrical, carpentry, drywall or painting skills are especially encouraged to pitch in. n This year marks the seventh annual Day of Service, when AARP staff and volunteers nationwide provide hands- on help in their communities. Last year D.C. Council member Kwame R. Brown, D, was among the volunteers who renovated four houses in the District. This year AARP DC is inviting all council members to participate. For details or to sign up, e-mail dcaarp@aarp.org or call C.A. Page, AARP DC associate state director, at 202-434-7703.
March 2007
Smaller jolt... Low-income residents were facing a potentially devastating increase in their monthly electric bills last month, but AARP DC helped stave off the full rate hike. The District of Columbia Public Service Commission decided in January to extend the portion of the Residential Aid Discount program that was set to expire in February. The expiration would have meant a significant increase in many customers’ electric bills. The commission agreed to a 7.5 percent rate increase for customers who qualify for the assistance program, so their bills will jump by only a few dollars a month. n To learn more about the program, call the D.C. Department of the Environment’s Energy Office hotline at 202-673-6750 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
February 2007
Fraud busters...D.C. lawmakers recently passed two measures to protect consumers and crack down on the growing problem of identity theft. The Consumer Personal Information Security Breach Notification Act of 2006 (B16-0810) requires businesses to notify consumers if their personal data is released, compromised or mishandled in a way that increases the risk of identity theft. The Consumer Security Freeze Act of 2006 (B16-0811) takes a cue from similar laws passed in several states allowing consumers to place a freeze on their credit reports to reduce the risk of having information stolen. Outgoing Mayor Anthony Williams, D, signed the bills into law in December.
AARP DC supported the laws, which are expected to take effect by March. To learn more, go to www.aarp.org/learntech/personal_finance/.
January 2007
Protections overdue... The Legal Counsel for the Elderly’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman program has sued the city government for failing to draft regulations for assisted living facilities that would protect residents and help ensure quality of care. The suit, filed Oct. 31 in D.C. Superior Court, claims the D.C. government is violating the Assisted Living Residence Regulatory Act of 2000, which requires that such facilities be licensed and held to certain standards regarding quality of care and residents’ rights. The city’s lack of oversight “jeopardizes the health, safety and well-being of D.C. residents of assisted living facilities,” says ombudsman Gerald Kasunic. “The establishment of regulations is long overdue, and the most vulnerable members of our population deserve better.” The city had 60 days to respond to the suit.
December 2006
Two shots... Despite growing awareness of the importance of flu shots for people 50 and older, many District residents remain unaware of the need for vaccination against pneumonia for those 65 and older. Nearly half of D.C. residents 65-plus have never received the vaccine, compared with a national average of about 34 percent.
AARP DC is helping the District of Columbia Department of Health spread the word about the importance of both flu and pneumonia vaccinations. Unlike flu shots, the pneumonia vaccine isn’t needed annually, yet it can protect against some of the deadliest types of bacterial pneumonia.
To find a flu and pneumonia vaccine clinic near you, talk to your doctor, call the Department of Health at 202-671-5000, or visit findaflushot.com.
November 2006
Try this at home... The idea: to create a revolutionary, all-encompassing concierge service that provides help with anything from a ride to the doctor’s office to house painting to coaxing a pet cat out of a tree. Several groups of D.C. residents are hoping to start such a service, modeling it after Beacon Hill Village in Boston, which was featured in the December issue of the AARP Bulletin.
Residents of the Boston neighborhood who are age 50 or older pay a yearly fee to the “village” for 24-hour services that help them remain in their own homes as they age.
AARP DC wants to help Washington residents who are interested in launching Beacon Hill-type projects in their neighborhoods or who want to get in touch with people who have started similar projects or are exploring the idea. For more information, contact Aisha Bonner at 202-434-7707 or e-mail dcaarp@aarp.org.
—Reports by Donya Currie Arias
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