Foreclosure Prevention Counseling
HELP offers individual foreclosure prevention counseling to households at risk of losing their home. The goal is to assess each homeowner’s ability to repay their mortgage and determine the best course of action. We work with homeowners and their lender/servicer to attempt to cure any delinquency and create a sustainable payment arrangement. If this cannot be accomplished, we assist the homeowner in their transition out of the property.
A counseling session includes:
- Review and sign authorization agreement and privacy policy
- Create hardship letter and budget
- Review of current income and available assets
- Determination of available retention options
- Submission of intake and financial package to lender
- Referral to additional services if necessary
COUNSELING SESSIONS IN 2022 = 40
Financial Capability Counseling
Financial Capability Counseling sessions are offered for individuals who want a review and assessment of their credit rating and overall financial goals. Sessions are tailored to the individual household needs and may include such topics and actions as:
- Obtain and review copy of the credit report with scores
- Determine how scores can be improved
- Creation of budget and spending /savings plan
- Financial Planning
- Savings and investing ideas
- Homeownership Resources
- Learning about Power Payments
- Understanding Debt
COUNSELING SESSIONS IN 2022 = 65
Homebuyer Education Workshops
The Homebuyer Education Workshop focuses on how real estate transactions work, qualifications for home financing, and the responsibilities of home ownership. The workshop is broken into 2 4-hour sessions. Session One will help participants determine whether they are ready to purchase a home, and offer information on managing money and credit. Session Two focuses on obtaining a mortgage, shopping for a home, and managing your home and finances after closing. Certificates are required for most down payment/closing cost assistance, and are given immediately upon completion of the full 8 hours of education. Due to Covid-19, we were unable to offer live workshops in 2021. We were able to provide comprehensive education through our online course developed by eHome America, and conducted a pilot virtual workshop.
VIRTUAL WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS IN 2022 = 18
eHome America PARTICIPANTS IN 2022 = 99
Collier Community Assistance Program
The Covid-19 pandemic continued to cause significant financial hardship for many members of our community throughout 2022. Our agency partnered with Collier County government in administering emergency funding through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to cover mortgage and/or utility payments for households with a verified Covid-related hardship. Funds through this program were paid directly from our County Clerk of Courts to mortgage servicers or utility companies. We also served as Housing Navigators for the Eviction Diversion Program. HELP was proud to directly provide the following assistance in 2022:
Total Households Receiving Eviction Diversion Services = 122
Households provided mortgage/utility assistance = 137