There may be help on the horizon for residents whose security is being threatened by foreclosure.
A coalition of public organizations and advocacy groups will come together Thursday in an effort to develop a strategy to help stem the tide of rising foreclosure rates in the state.
“The objective is to bring those organizations that care about the issue of rising foreclosure rates together to look at trends ? and find solutions,” said Doug Robinson, a spokesman for NeighborWorks America, a national nonprofit created by Congress to provide financial support, technical assistance and training for community-based revitalization efforts.
Among the speakers scheduled to appear are Jeffrey Lubell, director of the Center for Housing Policy in Washington, D.C.; Cheryl Hystad, advocacy director of the Legal Aid Bureau Inc. in Baltimore and author of a report on predatory lending practices; Jonathan Miller, a staff member for U.S. Sen. Paul Sarbanes of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Banking and Urban Affairs Committee; and Phillip Robinson, executive director of Civil Justice Network Inc. in Baltimore.
Phillip Robinson said his Civil Justice Network is just one of several community organizations that are joining together to focus attention on community problems related to foreclosure.
“From a legal prospective, foreclosure is a judicial action and the only action that the defendant doesn?t have to be served with process,” he said.
This week?s forum comes on the heels of an announcement last week by Baltimore Mayor Martin O?Malley of a program that encourages homeowners threatened with foreclosure to call the city?s 311 line for referrals to credit counseling and foreclosure prevention counseling.
The referral program is a partnership between the city and the Baltimore Home Ownership Preservation Coalition.
