Help with foreclosures - United Way 2-1-1 of Manasota

News Source - http://www.mysuncoast.com
Email - bkaplan@mysuncoast.com
June 13, 2008 6:22PM

SARASOTA - The latest numbers show foreclosures were up about 6% last month in Florida. But dialing a three digit number could help some people stay in their homes.

United Way 2-1-1 of Manasota is a 24-7 hotline. It connects callers with Suncoast groups offering assistance with more than 200 different needs. With more people needing help holding on to their homes, 2-1-1 is expanding its reach.

"This is United Way 2-1-1, may I help you?" That's the greeting Christina Russi uses dozens of times a day, trying to be strong for callers struggling to make ends meet. "We have people who can deal with the stress better than others. Some of them become really emotional, you can hear it in their voices."

Russi, and other 2-1-1 employees, will answer 60,000-70,000 calls this year alone. Almost 70% will need financial assistance. And while in years past foreclosure weren't really an issue, there have been 300 calls since October of last year.

"During a conversation they will mention they have had to sell their home. Maybe it was a short sale, or in foreclosure or haven't been able to pay their mortgage for 3 months, we get a lot of that." Alberto Suarez is the Executive Director of this 2-1-1 branch. He says partnerships with other non-profit organizations like Consumer Credit Counciling Services can offer help. They recently began a program called Hope Now, which allows homeowners and their lenders to work together to find ways to pay their mortgage. "A lot of times, people are calling us in crisis, they are in a pre-foreclosure and when they call United Way 2-1-1 of Manasota, they can find alternate solutions they might not have been aware of."

But Russi says the longer you wait, the harder it could be to find help. So it's better to hear her greet you on the other side of the phone sooner, rather than later. "The sooner we can get them to a referral, the better the result will be. The outcome is more positive we think if they call early."

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• United
• Way
• 2-1-1
• foreclosure
• help
• sarasota
• manatee
• arcadia
• mortgage