Overcoming Foreclosures

On June 13, the Crisis Information / Action Center at the Peoples Center sponsored a workshop on Overcoming Foreclosures. Dorothy Johnson, Organizer of the Crisis Center, introduced the workshop presenters: Eva Heintzelman of the ROOF Project, a collaboration between the City of New Haven, Yale Law Clinic and community organizations in response to the growing foreclosure crisis in New Haven; Michael Haynes from Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven; and Ann Parent from Connecticut Fair Housing Center.

The workshop discussed the multitude of options and programs available to homeowners facing difficulty with their mortgage payments. The bottom line is that dealing with threatened foreclosures is a difficult and complicated process, the majority of homeowners can save their houses if they seek help and take action. We also learned that various initiatives from the Obama administration, combined with recent improvements in CT state law, provide tools that are really useful in preventing foreclosures.

People attending the workshop heard about it through a notice in the New Haven Register, through the labor movement, and through direct neighborhood outreach by the Peoples Center. Participants included homeowners and tenants with concerns about their situations, as well as Peoples Center volunteers. In addition to the information in the formal presentations, participants were able to speak with the counselors and lawyer individually.

If you anticipate problems with your mortgage, or if you are a tenant facing eviction because your landlord has been foreclosed, the sooner you take action the better the chances of success. Call Dorothy Johnson at the crisis center (624-8664) or call Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven (777-6925).