Foreclosure Prevention Outreach Program

About the Program

Category: Community and Economic Development (Best in Category)

Year: 2010

Fairfax County’s Foreclosure outreach program began as a grassroots effort of the County’s Department of Housing and Development, the Department of Consumer Affairs and Legal Services of Northern Virginia. It was developed in partnership with the Virginia Housing Development Authority who provided the necessary resources to train county staff and professionals in local organizations on Foreclosure Prevention. The program includes the collaborative development of a “Process for Triage and Assessment to Avoid Foreclosure,” which has been used to train local housing counselors and other professionals and includes a tool kit of information designed to educate homeowners on foreclosure prevention, renters’ rights if a home they are living in goes into foreclosure and the dangers of foreclosure scams. The program has grown and is now incorporated into regional and statewide foreclosure prevention efforts. Its community outreach involves several county agencies and local community partners with a working knowledge of foreclosure prevention who, in turn, educate the maximum number of households possible in the community. In addition, the partnership developed with local attorneys offers legal assistance to at-risk families in developing plans with their lender. Since its inception in 2008, the program has reached out to more than 1,400 people including 150 attorneys and paralegals trained for the pro bono program and more than 450 other professionals.