Photo via AJC

Antwan “Big Boi’ Patton and Mary J. Blige sit beside Reynoldstown neighborhood resident Paris Rhoden, 44, who used the services of Resources for Resources and Communities to find a place to live. Blige and Big Boi were part of a foreclosure seminar in Atlanta on Saturday, April 18, 2009 as part of the “Bringing Hope Home” tour to prevent foreclosure.

“Anything they need from me, I’m here,” said Big Boi, fellow ATLien and half of the duo OutKast. “I’d see all these boarded up houses and think ‘What’s going on?

The tour of hard-hit cities, including Newark, Miami and Cleveland, made Atlanta its second stop. During stops in Reynoldstown, Kirkwood and downtown, celebs and counselors warned about for-profit counseling scams and urged people to call free resource centers. The number of calls from Georgians to the Hope hotline more than doubled in 2008.

“It’s free help, it’s confidential,” said Suzanne Boas, president of the Atlanta non-profit Consumer Credit Counseling Service, a service that handles hotline calls and local counseling. “You really don’t need to feel embarrassed — you do need to reach out.” (More)

The bright blue and yellow Bringing Hope Home tour bus rolled through Atlanta over the weekend plastered with number of the hotline for the foreclosure prevention group Hope Now Alliance, based in Washington, D.C. They’re next stop is Miami for a similar workshop. If you missed last weekend’s seminar and need assistance, it’s not too late. Contact them at 888-995-HOPE for more information.

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