WHAT'S
HAPPENING
Free Copy
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE HIGH POINT MODEL CITY COMMISSION
April 21,1972
Southside Participation In the Balance’
Support For NDP '^Tricky’
—Committee Chainnan Moore
RESroENT REVIEW COMMITl’EE chairman Thomas O. Moore, right,
presides at a recent meeting at Fairview Street School concerning the
Neighborhood Development Plan (NDP) in Southside. At left are two fellow
members of that committee, Mrs. J. E. Melton and Model City Commissioner
Mary Browne.
The Southside Neighborhood De
velopment Plan (NDP) could make
or break citizen involvement, ac
cording to Thomas O. Moore, a Mod
el City Commissioner from the South
side and chairman of the NDP Res
ident Review Committee.
Moore, a representative of Pruden
tial Life Insurance Company, is con
cerned over what he describes as “a
lack of enthusiasm on the part of the
residents” to get involved in making
decisions about the federal grant to
be used in the Southside this simimer.
“A lot of this apathy stems from
the past,” explains Moore. “Residents
know from previous experience about
these long, drawn-out procedures
Disregards Past Credit
NCNB Offers New Low-Rate Loans
recent meeting of the Model City
Commission by bank executive and
City Councilman Jim Pearce.
Pearce asked Commissioners to find
his bank some clients who qualify for
this special assistance program. He
stressed that the bank disregards all
past credit experiences in order to
make these loans, which carry a 10
percent annual interest rate.
LOWER INTEREST
This interest rate compares to the
15, 20 or even 29 percent interest
rate from other lending institutions
for personal loans.
When a person applies for a loan,
he is required to list all his debts,
which can then be paid off by the
bank. A monthly repayment schedule
is then set up based on the borrower’s
income. Money can also be borrowed
to buy major items such as appliances
y Lab Open
Problems
or a car, with lower monthly pay
ments than at most other institutions.
An important feature of this pro
gram is counseling. Consumer Credit
Counseling director Barry Boneno is
(Continued on Page 4)
when dealing with government pro
grams.” The fact that there is a long
planning period and few noticeable
results in such programs has caused
much discouragement, he added.
The eight-member Resident Re
view Committee was organized by
Model Cities to see that residents of
the Southside neighborhood would
have a say-so in how the $750,000
for the first year of NDP is spent.
Several neighborhood meetings have
been held at Fairview Street Sdiool
where everyone was invited to speak
their minds.
However, Moore feels that “it is
unfortunate that the people whom
we want to talk vdth us don’t, or
can’t. Very few of them speak, as a
matter of fact. Some of this hesitancy
stems from modesty, or they are im-
able to express themselves. Or some
of them can’t get in touch with mem
bers of the committee, or don’t know
who to go to. . . .”
MANY PROBLEMS
A lack of leadership on the part
of the residents, Moore says, is due to
what he calls “a whole multiplicity
of problems.” Getting people involved
in the power structure, and showing
them they can be efifective in decision-
(Continued on Page 2)
Consumer Credit Counseling’s
“money lab” is now open for busi
ness two nights a week.
The lab, equipped with slides, tapes
and movies on every phase of buying,
budgeting, saving and paying by cred
it, is held Tuesday and Thursday
nights from 7:30 to 9 p.m. This month
the rotating lab is located at Daniel
Brooks Commimity Center; in May
it will be held at Astor Dowdy
Towers.
One of two members of the Con
sumer Credit Counseling staff, Brenda
Rabon and Rosa McCray, is on hand
at each session to answer questions
and show participants how to use ma
terials.
The free “do-it-yourself’ lab is for
anyone who is having problems with
money.
The workshop is coordinated by
Barry Boneno, director of Consumer
Credit Counseling, who is available
to give personal counseling to anyone
in the city who is in financial difficul
ty. The lab is designed to give point
ers on the use of money which can
help strengthen a family’s budget.
A free bag of groceries will also be
rafHed off at the final session this
month, Thursday, April 27. Anyone
who has attended any session at Dan
iel Brooks will be eligible to win.
Registration is not required to at
tend the money lab.