St. Petersburg, Florida - So many people facing foreclosure are looking for help in all the wrong places and they're losing thousands of dollars to fly by night companies that make big promises but never deliver.

It's a lesson Sharon Boykin learned the hard way. She moved from London to St. Petersburg eight years ago. Four years ago she bought her first home and says she knew it would be the perfect place to raise her 15 month old son, Taylor. "I thought about him before he was even conceived. This house has always been for him. The neighborhood is beautiful. The neighbors are lovely, quiet, no problems. You could leave your house unlocked."

By Joyce Nanette Johnson

St. Petersburg Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc. (SPNHS) recently held their “2009 Partners Luncheon”. The occasion was to give recognition and show appreciation to their “partners” who, through their dedication and service, have provided valuable assistance to SPNHS with their housing programs, and to launch “National Homeownership Month”.