Foreclosure counseling through the Oregon Foreclosure Avoidance program keeps families in their home, and demand remains high for this critical service. The program was not funded in the Oregon Housing and Community Services budget. There is another chance to secure state resources for this program through the end of session budget reconciliation bill. Please tell your legislators to restore foreclosure counseling. Find yours here.
A NEDCO client shared her story about how foreclosure counseling kept her in her home:
I realize it’s a huge challenge to balance the state budget, yet based on my experience the OFA is a crucial safety net resource for Oregon.
After I was laid off from my job in 2014, I would have lost my home (and sanity) if I hadn’t gotten into OFA mediation. Before that I had no idea how difficult it would be to deal with the threat of foreclosure. It was the most overwhelming, mind-numbing, terrifying situation I’ve ever been in.
I would never have had the the wherewithal to face the complicated paperwork and intimidating meetings with my mortgage lender without the support of an encouraging, knowledgable OFA counselor. I now understand how people who lack effective foreclosure prevention guidance can so easily lose their homes — when a well-guided loan modification process could have remedied the situation and avoided unnecessary tragedy.