Fewer homeowners than expected have sought out Fairfax County’s foreclosure counseling in recent months, despite a growing number of residents at risk of losing their homes.
A series of meetings in April, May and June brought out a combined 135 attendees, and during a separate region-wide clinic in June, only 66 households came to Fairfax County housing staff for counseling, said Mary Stevens, deputy director of the county’s Department of Housing and Community Development.
She called the turnout “a strong response, but not as strong as we expected.”
“The word is getting out that there might be some counseling available, and the volume of calls is increasing, but it’s still not what you would think,” Stevens said.
The lukewarm level of interest is surprising considering the magnitude of Fairfax County’s foreclosure crisis, and indicates that many homeowners are either unaware of help offered by the county or unwilling to take it.
More than 1,700 Fairfax County homes were in some stage of foreclosure in July, according to figures released this week by RealtyTrac.
Fairfax housing staff offers to link homeowners with lenders in the hopes of working out a deal to keep their homes, among other aid. The counseling is included in a package of anti-foreclosure measures passed by the Board of Supervisors in late June.
In more than half of foreclosures, owners haven’t talked to their lender, Stevens said.
“They just let it happen,” she said. “And that’s really sad, because we know that in some cases, they could be helped.”
Under the bundle of initiatives, the county will also buy, revamp and sell 10 of the most derelict vacant structures, and offer loan assistance to first-time home buyers seeking to fill a foreclosed house.
The county is hosting a brown-bag lunch at the Government Center Wednesday for homeowners and renters, where they can learn about ways to prevent foreclosure, scams and predatory lending.
