Helping Americans Keep Their Homes: Institute Announces $2.4 Million More in Grants to Help Families Fight Foreclosure
Center for Responsible Lending
February 5, 2009
The Institute for Foreclosure Legal Assistance today announced it has awarded $2.4 million in grants to nine legal-aid offices in as many states. The grants are the second and final round in a multi-year program to bolster local groups nationwide who assist the growing legion of borrowers facing foreclosure. Last year the Institute awarded $6.5 million to 27 groups in 19 states and the District of Columbia.
The Institute, a project of the Center for Responsible Lending and managed by the National Association of Consumer Advocates, made the second round of awards to groups in communities not served by the first-round of grantees but especially hard hit by the ongoing wave of foreclosures. The grants range in size from $250,000 to $300,000 and will be provided over three years, with annual reviews. The money will enable the recipient groups to hire additional attorneys specializing in foreclosure prevention.
Last year’s awards were made to nonprofit groups that demonstrated they already had successful foreclosure prevention programs in place but needed more resources. The grants ranged in size from $75,000 to $375,000, and also were spread over three years. The accomplishments of these groups, which are about to receive their second-year funding, include hiring 50 additional staff attorneys who now actively work on homeowner protection projects across the country. IFLA attorneys have assisted over 1200 clients, trained direct local service providers on identifying clients who need legal representation and participated in community outreach events geared to reach homeowners at risk of foreclosure.
"Legal service attorneys are playing an essential and insufficiently recognized role in fighting against our nation's terrible foreclosure plague,” says NACA executive director Ira Rheingold. “I’m sorry we can’t fund more programs and hope Congress and the Administration will allocate the money necessary so more families across our country can receive the help only legal service attorneys can provide."
The Institute also will continue to fund several related activities designed to maximize the effectiveness of the grant program. Among these are handling cases directly that the Institute’s managers believe will set important legal precedents for helping families avoid losing their homes; and administering a fund that helps attorneys, including non-grantees, pay for expert witnesses, travel and other out-of-pocket litigation costs. IFLA has disbursed $218,500 for 8 litigation cases from this fund; it expects to recover that money as cases are won or settled.
"IFLA grantees are on the front line of the foreclosure crisis and are making a tremendous difference in their communities," said Eric Halperin, director of CRL's Washington DC office. "The sad fact is that there are so many more in need than our funding can accommodate."
The Institute was created in the fall of 2007 through a generous donation from the investment firm Paulson and Co. Inc. Its one mission is to help meet the growing need for quality legal assistance for families who are victims of a housing crisis created by reckless mortgage lenders.
More than 2 million families already have lost their homes to foreclosure since 2007, forced out as teaser rates on their loan jumped to unaffordable levels. Already twice as high as normal, the number of foreclosures will accelerate for the next four years. This year alone more than 2.4 million families face the grim prospect of losing their home, with similarly large numbers projected to do so in each of the following three years.
In addition to the families directly hurt, tens of million of neighboring families will see the value of their homes fall hundreds of billions of dollars just because they live near foreclosed properties. Despite an 18 month effort by federal officials to prod industry to voluntarily modify loans, lenders and servicers simply have not and are not doing so fast enough or in sufficient numbers to make a difference to communities or the economy.
The National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA) is a nationwide organization of more than 1500 attorneys who represent and have represented hundreds of thousands of consumers victimized by fraudulent, abusive and predatory business practices. As an organization fully committed to promoting justice for consumers, NACA's members and their clients are actively engaged in promoting a fair and open marketplace that forcefully protects the rights of consumers, particularly those of modest means. For more information visit www.naca.net.
For more information about the Institute, about obtaining a recoverable grant for litigation expenses, or about being trained in foreclosure prevention law, please visit www.foreclosurelegalassistance.org.
2009 IFLA Grant Recipients
Iowa
Iowa Legal Aid (Des Moines)
Dennis Groenenboom
515-243-2980, ext. 1620
Massachusetts
Neighborhood Legal Services Inc. (Lynn)
Sheila C. Casey, Esq.
781-244-1414
Michigan
Legal Services of South Central Michigan (Ann Arbor)
Jennifer Schrand
734-665-6181, ext. 11
Missouri
Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, Inc. (St. Louis)
Daniel K. Glazier
314-534-4200
Nevada
Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, Inc.
Lynn Etkins
702-386-1070 ext. 165
New York
Legal Services for NYC- Staten Island Legal Services Homeowner Defense Project
Nancy Goldhill
718-233-6490
Texas
Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid (Weslaco)
Robert Doggett
512-374-2725
Virginia
Legal Services of Northern Virginia, Inc. (Falls Church)
James Scruggs
703-246-4521
Washington
Columbia Legal Services (Olympia)
Bruce Neas
360-943-6585 ext. 215
For more information, contact: Kathleen Day at 202-349-1871 or kathleen.day@responsiblelending.org; and Ginna Green at 510-379-5513 or ginna.green@responsiblelending.org
Future Dates
IIFLA Intensive Training Session
Philadelphia, PA
June 4-5, 2009
Previous Dates
IFLA Intensive Training Session
New Orleans, LA
December 4-5, 2008
IFLA Intensive Training Session
Poverty Law Conference
Austin, TX
April 23, 2008
Conference sponsored by Institute for Foreclosure Legal Assistance and The State Bar of Texas
Overview:
- Institue for Foreclose Legal Assistance sponsored discussions on the foreclosure crises and how it related to impoverished individuals
- Some of the topics included “Housing and Eviction Law Updates”, “Handling Emergency Matters in a Housing Context” and “Foreclosure Defense Using Texas Law”
IFLA Intensive Training Session
In person and video conference
Ohio State Bar Association
Columbus, Ohio
March 10-11th
Conference sponsored by Institute for Foreclosure Legal Assistance
Overview:
- Institute for Foreclose Legal Assistance sponsored discussions on foreclosure in partnership with Supreme Court of Ohio, The Ohio Attorney General, The Ohio State Bar Association and legal services programs.
- Through the live presentation and video conferencing, this discussion reached approximately 368 attorneys.
- Coincided with The NACA 2008 Mortgage Lending Litigation Conference on September 5-7th.
IFLA Intensive Training Session
Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Center
127 Public Square, Cleveland, OH. 44114
September 4, 2008
Overview:
IFLA Foreclosure Legal Assistance Recoverable Grants ProgramRecoverable Grant Program
The Institute for Foreclosure Legal Assistance is pleased to announce the following private attorneys and legal service programs as recipients for funding under the IFLA Recoverable Grant Program. (Programs listed alphabetically)
California Rural Legal Assistance
Civil Justice Inc.
Financial Protection Law Center
Law Offices of Al Hofeld, Jr., LLC
Housing Preservation Project
Jenkins Mulligan & Gabriel LLP
Legal Aid of Manasota, Inc.
Pittman, Alexander, Cook & Associates
Roddy, Klein & Ryan
Law Offices of Simmons and Purdy
Staten Island Legal Services
Vermont Legal Aid
The goal of the Recoverable Grants Program is to fund reasonable costs associated with impact litigation for borrowers in danger of losing their homes through foreclosure.
The Institute for Foreclosure Legal Assistance (IFLA), a project of the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) and managed by the National Association of Consumer Advocates, is pleased to announce that it is accepting proposals from private attorneys and non-profit legal entities to fund litigation costs associated with assisting borrowers in danger of losing thier homes through foreclosure.
IFLA Foreclosure Legal Assistance Recoverable Grants Documents
Guidelines for Foreclosure Legal Assistance Recoverable Grants (Word Document)
Recoverable Grant Application Form (Word Document)