IN THE NEWS

Homeowners offered help to forestall foreclosures

March 7, 2009; As originally appeared in The Connecticut Post

BRIDGEPORT -- Homeowners facing foreclosure should never try to deal with the situation on their own.

That was the message given to more than 60 area residents who attended a foreclosure prevention forum Saturday at the City Hall Annex on Broad Street, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4.

"Don't do this alone. I don't care how educated you are, you are not getting through those legal documents alone," Himes said.

New bills passed by Congress, like one allowing first-time mortgages to be open during bankruptcy proceedings and another that provides incentives for servicers to modify loans, have created a new playing field for homeowners to solve their housing woes, he said.

But, "people are making decisions not knowing what has been done to help them," Himes added. So far this year, there have been 2,400 foreclosures in the fourth congressional district and more than 1,000 of those were in Bridgeport. Projections show that 7,000 more homes could be lost in the district over the next four years, Himes said.

At the forum, attendees heard from a panel of representatives from area organizations on ways to refinance their loans, pay off debts, obtain affordable lawyers and receive job  training skills.

Tom Long, project manager for The Workplace Inc., said their organization provides job training and counseling services for eligible people. "The unemployment rate is lower for those with a higher level of education," Long said, adding that people don't have to be unemployed to use the agency's services.

The organization also provides scholarships to pay tuition and fees for certificate programs and college classes. Most people at the session, though, said they already had an income and some worked two jobs, but they still couldn't afford their mortgage payments.

"I'm here today because my mortgage is so high and my taxes are so high," said Betty Baldwin, of Cottage Street in Bridgeport. Baldwin, a cancer survivor, now works two jobs to make ends meet.

Valencia Taft-Jackson, manager of residential mortgages at the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, said CHFA has a hotline for information about assistance programs. CHFA provides loans to help pay off tax liens or for help refinancing from an adjustable-rate mortgage to a fixed-rate mortgage, among other services.

One Bridgeport resident said his home was already in foreclosure, but he couldn't afford a lawyer and needed help with his legal paperwork.

Joan Carty, president of Housing Development Funds, whose group helps people find affordable houses in Fairfield County could help him contact a pro-bono lawyer.

Taft-Jackson urged people to call for help even if their credit is not good. "We know people are using their credit cards to buy food. We know your credit is not going to be stellar," she said.

Attendees also learned that they could obtain counseling, resources and information through the city's HOPE program, the regional anti-poverty agency ABCD, and ACORN.

State Rep. Andres Ayala, D-Bridgeport, asked attendees to share the information they learned at the forum with their families and friends. Many people who face foreclosure lose their homes because they "don't know what's happening," Ayala said. 

How to get help  Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) Main office: (860) 232-2675 2310 Main St., Bridgeport; 366-4180Connecticut Housing Finance Authority(860) 571-3500 or 1-877 571-2432Housing Development Fund, Inc., 100 Prospect St., Suite 100, Stamford 969-1830The WorkPlace, Inc., 350 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport610-8500ABCD, Inc., 1070 Park Ave., Bridgeport 366-8241