WASHINGTON (Inman News Features) - The National Association of Realtors announced today it is closing the Realtors Housing Relief Fund that provided housing assistance to 1223 families in 11 states and Washington, D.C., in the aftermath of the Sept.11 terrorist attacks. The association raised and distributed nearly $8.2 million during the fund?s nearly three-month life.
"Every Realtor in America should be tremendously proud of what we have accomplished," said NAR 2001 President Martin Edwards Jr. "We pledged to do our best to see that no family that lost a breadwinner on Sept. 11 would lose the place they call home. We've saved over 1200 homes, and every penny we raised went to help the families. This was indeed our finest hour."
Edwards said families received checks within a week after applying on average and that many reported it was the first help they received.
NAR established the fund with a $1 million contribution on Sept. 12. Checks were made payable to both to the victims' families and either the lender or landlord to ensure assistance was used for housing costs.
NAR is encouraging families that are still in need of housing assistance to contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which operates a database of housing relief sources.
