While the housing market is showing signs of recovery there are still many who need help in keeping their home. The County has a program to help, while helping people avoid scams that continue to prey on struggling homeowners.
Strong neighborhoods and quality communities are important to the future of the County of San Bernardino. That’s why the County is providing quality information and guidance that provides struggling County of San Bernardino homeowners with resources to find mortgage assistance with Save Your Home San Bernardino County.
Kelly Reenders, Economic Development Agency Administrator for the County of San Bernardino, said, “There are too many people that are still at a loss as to how to stay in their home. Many times there are numerous ways to get help. It’s just a matter of connecting the people and programs. The County is doing its part to provide a central point for its residents to locate the programs and counseling resources that can provide a real and fair solution.”
The County also wants to ensure that homeowners who are actively seeking help don’t fall prey to scams.
In addition to program social media sites on Facebook and Twitter, there is a new website, http://www.SaveYourHomeSBCounty.org, where residents can search for upcoming events, resources, testimonials, and more.
Some examples of the information available on the site are:
– Free foreclosure prevention counseling and a list of local HUD approved housing counselors
– Listings for foreclosure prevention workshops
– Places to report scams and information on how to spot and avoid a scam
According to a study submitted to Congress, homeowners who received foreclosure prevention counseling through the 185 HUD-approved housing counseling agencies were not only more likely to get a mortgage loan modification, they were also 67 percent more likely to remain current on their mortgage nine months after receiving a loan modification.
Denise Bickerstaff, Housing Analyst for the county’s Economic Development Agency, said, “We can share with struggling homeowners ways they can obtain financial resources that are available through Federal agencies and the State of California.”
For example, Keep Your Home California is a free, federally-funded, state-administered service that helps qualifying homeowners who have suffered a financial hardship with programs such as Unemployment Mortgage Assistance and Mortgage Reinstatement Assistance.
To date, over 2,000 San Bernardino County residents have been provided more than $27 million in assistance through Keep Your Home California programs.
The county encourages anyone concerned about losing their home to learn about options and workshops by visiting http://www.SaveYourHomeSBCounty.org. People can also visit http://www.facebook.com/SaveYourHomeSBCounty or follow the program on Twitter @SaveYourHomeSBC.
