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Hurricane Foreclosure hits California

By Judy Hunter, RCAC rural development specialist – housing  

Unlike a traditional hurricane that blows in and blows out, the foreclosure hurricane continues to pound communities across the United States and in particular, California. As in a traditional disaster, rescue workers are at the scene. For example, housing counselors are the front-line rescue workers aiding families who are in foreclosure on their home mortgages.

Generally, during a national disaster, there is focus on the rescue workers. That is not the case with the foreclosure crisis. The toll on families faced with foreclosure is well reported, but the toll on housing counselors as they face the devastation day after day does not make the press. Everyday, housing counselors face scared, angry, depressed and sometimes suicidal homeowners asking for help to save their homes. The Center for Responsible Lending projects more than two million homes will be lost nationwide to foreclosure in late 2008 through the end of 2009. California leads the nation with an expected 336,967 foreclosures -- which translates to a foreclosure every 90 seconds.

In response to this great need, the California Reinvesment Coalition and Rural Community Assistance Corporation, with help from the Pacific District of NeighborWorks America, recently hosted a Foreclosure Intervention Counseling Peer Convening in Sacramento, California.

The meeting provided support and training for California housing counselors.

Participants at the meeting:

• Provided in-depth peer-to-peer training on current best practices in foreclosure intervention counseling
• Informed counselors about policy and practice updates that impact foreclosure intervention counseling programs
• Shared lessons learned, success stories and best practices about delivering foreclosure counseling intervention services
• Networked with colleagues in the field to build a community of foreclosure counselors working in California 

Approximately 100 people attended, representing 48 counseling agencies. A full 98 percent of participants agreed that the convening was well structured, allowed enough time for substantive discussion and provided a value-added opportunity for housing counselors to learn from and network with their peers. Each counseling case is unique and resolutions are not “one size fits all”. The event helped housing counselors make valuable connections, which will far outlast the conference by allowing them to use each other as a resource.

Housing counselors, as the front-line rescue workers, are the heroes in this national disaster and deserve our recognition.

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