Officially it was the 12th Annual Black Exposition in Oakland, California, but it could have been called "The Everything- You- Wanted- To- Know- About- Homeownership- But- Didn't- Know- Where- To- Ask Expo."

About 7,500 men, women and children from Oakland and throughout the Bay Area turned out one weekend last month for this popular event. Given the wealth of information and good counsel available from the local HUD office and many other groups, if these families weren't dreaming about homeownership before the Expo, many of them were caught up in a new dream before they left - the American Dream.

The San Francisco HUD Regional Office played an important role in the Expo. With their years of experience - and well-prepared with clearly-written HUD brochures, booklets and other publications - HUD staff helped people understand how to buy their first home; what down payment assistance was available; how to deal with credit challenges; how to be aware of predatory lending practices; and specifics about the Officer Next Door and the Teacher Next Door programs. More than 3,000 people registered at HUD's site, and many also asked for information about housing discrimination and even how to get a job with HUD. Several ministers wanted to know about HUD's Faith-Based Initiative and how their groups could participate.

HUD staffers Carol Brown and Andy Lai, (above, left); Lillie Zinnerman, Daisy Davis, and HUD "future staffer" Jennifer Powell (right, from right to left), along with Vicki Gum and others discussed homeownership and HUD programs throughout the weekend with Expo attendees. The majority of those who inquired about purchasing their own homes were African-American and the information they received from HUD stressed Secretary Martinez's goal of increasing homeownership for African Americans and other minorities.

Help from HUD complimented information and expertise from a large part of the region's housing industry - for-profits as well as nonprofits. Among the diverse group of vendors were lending institutions including Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and Citibank; law enforcement such as the California State Highway Patrol, the San Francisco City and County Police Department (above), the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) police; and citizen-oriented state, county and local agencies. Food and entertainment rounded out the education and information that was provided throughout the weekend.