Getting Homesafe Georgia up to speed preventing foreclosures
Getting behind on your mortgage payment one month or two may not be the beginning of the end. But becoming delinquent on payments for an extended period of time can result in you receiving word that the bank is looking to take your home through foreclosure.
Obviously, the best way to avoid such a situation is to prevent that action from ever getting underway. Whether bankruptcy is the right way to do that for you is something that depends on all the circumstances of your case. And making a determination you can be most comfortable with is something that is always best done with an attorney’s aid.
As many in Georgia have experienced, the past few years have been tough ones. The Great Recession is ostensibly over, but the head of Impact Group, a foreclosure avoidance organization, observes that there are still a lot of hurting homeowners who need help. In fact, Realty Trac says that Georgia still ranks among the top 10 states in the country for foreclosures at one in every 1,200.
Many may recall that the federal government has instituted a number of programs to help stem the tide of foreclosures. In Georgia, one such program is called Homesafe Georgia. We wrote about it earlier this year. It’s administered by the Department of Community Affairs and there seem to be some questions about whether the agency is truly dedicated to fulfilling its mission.
Homesafe Georgia is said to have some $184 million in federal funds in hand and just three years in which to put it to work. And so far critics say its track record hasn’t been too sterling.
According to one report, Homesafe Georgia pledged to help 18,300 homeowners in the first year. Before the year was out, that number was lowered to 15,100. And by the end of 2013, there had been only 4,500 homeowners actually served.
Homesafe Georgia officials defend their actions saying they have a responsibility to be sure taxpayer money is properly spent. But critics say the issue isn’t numbers, but people’s lives.
The agency has made some changes this year to improve things and reports some progress, but many wonder if it’s enough.
Source: WGCL-TV, “Changes aid Homesafe Georgia in helping more avoid foreclosure,” Jennifer Emert, Aug. 13, 2014
