Why do I need to know about foreclosure intervention programs?

This week’s column is a call to action. Another round of foreclosures is occurring. People you know from work or with whom you worship may be at risk of losing their homes; people in your neighborhood could be at risk. They may be suffering in silence, unaware that FREE foreclosure intervention programs exist for eligible homeowners. By knowing about these programs and sharing the information with your human resources department at work, with your pastor, your neighbors and friends, you can offer hope to those who are struggling.

At the direction of the Florida Legislature, the state courts are now clearing a foreclosure backlog.

“Victims of a foreclosure speedway” was the headline of a recent editorial in the Tampa Bay Times about what is happening. The editorial, and the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) report which prompted the editorial and was featured by the Times, put a human face on the consequences of “dispensing of foreclosure cases with deliberate speed.” The Times editorial noted a perception by some homeowners that the courts “are more interested in moving cases quickly than in providing due process.”

According to the editorial, there have been cases where the homeowner and the lender appeared together in court to express their interest in working out a deal only to have judges move for foreclosure. There is a human cost to this not only in terms of those who are losing their homes but also to the communities and local economies where the foreclosures are taking place.

Neighborhood Home Solutions (NHS) is offering a FREE foreclosure intervention workshop on Wednesday, Oct. 15 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. This is an opportunity to learn about FREE available programs that could save homes.

Please contact NHS by calling 727-821-6897 or emailing admin@nhsfl.org to reserve a seat for the workshop or to find out more information. Come by the office at 1600 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street South to pick up flyers to share.

Please join with NHS in reaching out to those may be at risk of losing their homes.

NHS is a 501 (c) (3) HUD approved nonprofit housing counseling organization. Services are provided free of charge. Partners include the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), HomeFree USA, Florida Hardest-Hit Fund, Pinellas County Community Development, and the City of St. Petersburg. Sources for this article include the FDIC Money Smart program and Hands on Banking (Money skills for life), a financial education curriculum provided by Wells Fargo as a public service.