Mortgage Foreclosure Prevention Prgram (MFPP)

About the Program

Category: Community and Economic Development (Best in Category)

Year: 2009

The Wayne County Mortgage Foreclosure Prevention Program (MFPP) provides comprehensive education, counseling, referral, intervention, and other support services at no cost to Wayne County residents who are in delinquency, foreclosure, or who have a mortgage product that the resident thinks may become a problem. Aimed at true frontline foreclosure prevention, the program’s in-house and local agency arranges for counselors to provide education, direct counseling, perform foreclosure status assessments, and financial status assessments for homeowners. The program also assists in the negotiating resolutions with residents’ lenders. The MFPP can be accessed by phone, online, or in person. Developed by the county’s Department of Technology, the program’s website is the centerpiece of the program. By accessing the site, residents can register online, starting the intake process electronically. The data bank allows local housing counseling agencies to register as network partners and accept cases from residents. The databank essentially matches up the supply of foreclosure counselors with the residents in need of their services in a priority format; those with scheduled sheriff’s sales are prioritized and moved to the top of the queue. The Foreclosure Prevention Program also acts as a conduit, connecting residents to other critical local resources that assist with immediate needs such as clothing, food, utility payments, etc. Lastly, the program evaluates each resident’s situation to determine the reason they are facing a foreclosure event and assists them in finding resources to address the long-term room cause of the issue.