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Foreclosure Seminars Aim To Help Save Homes

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By JOHN W. ALLMAN

jallman@tampatrib.com

Published: November 22, 2008

TAMPA - It's the new "F" word: foreclosure.

At the Tampa Housing Authority's Center for Affordable Homeownership, counselors encourage people to say it, talk about it and learn how to avoid it.

Every Friday, the center holds a free 45-minute seminar aimed at helping homeowners figure out how to continue paying their mortgages and keep their homes.

The counselors discuss changes to federal housing legislation, give updates on new programs and provide one-on-one assistance.

The seminar is open to all area homeowners, not just low-income residents.

In the past 11 months, the center has counseled 130 families. Nearly 90 percent, or about 117 families, were able to save their homes, center manager Jerry Munoz said.

"A large percentage of people we've helped have been beyond six months late" on their mortgage payments, Munoz said.

The seminars began in August. Interest was high at first, Munoz said, but attendance has fallen dramatically.

"We've had success in the beginning, but it's dwindled down to maybe two or three people showing up," he said. "Most people are not wanting to come to a workshop. They need help right away."

Residents don't know where to look for relief, though.

"They don't know what their options are, and that's the problem," Munoz said.
Seminar participants can fill out paperwork authorizing counselors to access credit reports and speak to specific lenders.

Munoz said he plans to change the day and time of the seminar to attract more people. The agency has done a direct mailing to more than 700 homeowners who have been served foreclosure notices.

He hopes to get the word out that help is available.

"Seventy percent of the people showing up are just regular folks, people like you and me, struggling to make their payments, struggling because of loss of income mostly," Munoz said. "That has been the No. 1 reason."

FIGHTING FORECLOSURE

For information on the free seminar or to request mortgage counseling, call the Tampa Housing Authority's Center for Affordable Homeownership at (813) 251-5402 or (813) 253-0551, ext. 212.

Reporter John W. Allman can be reached at (813) 259-7915. Keyword: Foreclosure, to search our foreclosure database, which has filings through October.

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