FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Heather B. Habelka, Office of the Mayor, 203.385.4001

Mayor Miron Announces “Get Credit Smart” Workshop For Stratford Housing Authority & Other Neighborhood Residents

Stratford, Conn. (August 14, 2006) – Mayor James R. Miron, Councilman Alvin O’Neal (D-2) and members of Stratford’s Community Development Agency today announced funding and plans to hold Freddie Mac’s “Get Credit Smart” Workshop in Stratford.

The “Get Credit Smart” workshop, which will be offered to Stratford Housing Authority and other neighborhood residents, is an interactive training program based on Freddie Mac’s Credit Smart curriculum. The program is designed to empower and educate participants to make solid financial choices. Goals of the program include: establishing savings, improving credit scores, reducing overall debt, obtaining the dream of home ownership and executing effective debt management strategies.

This workshop is being funded through a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) of $8,000 and will be managed by Faith Community Development Corporation, a non-profit organization located at 401A Birch Drive in Stratford. Participants will be required to attend a
sixty-minute orientation session, one six-hour Saturday workshop, one hour one-on-one credit counseling session and follow-up telephone conversations with a credit counselor. The sessions will be held throughout the year, ending in September 2007.

“I am proud to support a program that will educate approximately 100 Stratford residents,” said Mayor Miron. “This type of financial literacy training and credit counseling is imperative in assisting those in our community who may be facing financial challenges.”

For more information on Stratford’s “Get Credit Smart” program, contact Bridgette P. Russell, Housing Director at 203.502.7632.

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