Foreclosure Assistance for Individuals

The Housing Assistance Council is not a housing counseling organization and does not offer assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure. See the resources below for assistance.

HAC recommends caution when seeking assistance. There are a lot of legitimate resources that help families but be careful of scams because there are a lot of those too. HAC believes all the resources provided on this page are legitimate but does not take responsibility for their content. A good rule of thumb is the old adage, “If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.”

Housing Counseling
HOPE NOW is an alliance of HUD-approved counseling agents, services, and investors that provide free foreclosure prevention assistance. Visit www.hopenow.com or call 1-888-995-HOPE.

NeighborWorks America is a national nonprofit organization with local affiliates that offer homeownership counseling and education. A detailed list of foreclosure options is available on the NeighborWorks foreclosure assistance website. Some local affiliates also offer foreclosure prevention assistance. Visit https://nw.org/network/Utilities/NWOLookup.asp to find your local office.

Information
State housing finance agencies are a good place to start if you are having trouble paying your mortgage and looking for assistance. A complete list of state housing finance agencies and related contact information can be found at www.ncsha.org, or by calling the National Council of State Housing Agencies at (202) 624-7710.

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development maintains a page with links to foreclosure prevention resources in your state, at https://www.hud.gov/foreclosure/local.cfm.

Fannie Mae. A homeowner can now determine whether Fannie Mae owns his/her mortgage by entering the street address at https://loanlookup.fanniemae.com/loanlookup. Freddie Mac’s lookup at https://ww3.freddiemac.com/corporate requires additional information including a Social Security Number.

https://www.foreclosureresponse.org/?page_id=45. This website targeted to Kent County, Michigan includes some Helpful Tips and Actions Steps for families facing foreclosure.

Foreclosure-Response.org, a website offering resources intended to help states and localities respond to the foreclosure crisis. This site is maintained by the Center for Housing Policy, KnowledgePlex, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and the Urban Institute.

Legal Assistance
The Community Development Project of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is providing pro bono legal assistance to community groups fighting blight and vacancies in neighborhoods affected by the foreclosure crisis. To learn more, contact Deborah Austin, Project Director, (202) 662-8303, or see the website.

Federal Assistance
The Obama Administration has released a new website to assist borrowers with the Making Home Affordable Plan. Borrowers can use this website to determine if they are eligible for the program, to find out who their servicers are, and to locate other resources if they are not eligible for the program. Access the website at www.makinghomeaffordable.gov.

https://www.hud.gov/recovery. This website of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development has detailed information on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Warning
HUD warns that https://bailout.hud-gov.us is a “bogus and deceptive website” that mimics government sites and asks for personal information from people looking for help to avoid foreclosure. Real government sites on the subject are https://makinghomeaffordable.gov/ and https://www.hud.gov/recovery.

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Posted: March 26, 2009