Help available against foreclosure

SANGAREE -- Patricia Randle worked hard for nearly two decades to pay for her little piece of the American dream -- a home.

But times have been tough for the Summerville resident, and now her dream may be in jeopardy. After losing her job and dealing with some medical problems, Randle has fallen three months behind in her mortgage payments.

She's tried for months to work with her lender and gotten nowhere. She's hopeful the nonprofit Homeownership Resource Center will be able to help her successfully negotiate lower monthly payments that will enable her to stay in her home.

"I don't want to stay with other people," she said. "I don't want to live on the street."

Randle was one of about 50 residents who came to a free foreclosure prevention clinic on Saturday to learn more about what she could do to prevent that from happening. Anyone who was behind or at risk of becoming behind on their mortgage payments could have one-on-one meetings with licensed federal Housing and Urban Development counselors on options to foreclosure.

Hundreds of homeowners showed up to such clinics in the past, but that started to change last fall, said Debbie Kidd, director of Family Services' Homeownership Resource Center in North Charleston.

Most of the clients who had been turning out in droves were low- to middle-income residents who were accustomed to reaching out for help when they needed it, she said. As time passed, Kidd began to see more upper-middle class and wealthy individuals who weren't sure how to get help and who were uncomfortable with showing up in a public setting, she said. She cited as an example a principal who feared seeing students' parents, so the center did more online and phone counseling, as well as special appointments.

But the number of people having difficulties is rising again, and Kidd already has hired six additional counselors in anticipation of the influx of cases they'll see this fall. Nationally, nearly 528,000 homes went into foreclosure during the first six months of this year, a rate that is on track to surpass the more than 900,000 homes repossessed last year.

"It's only going to get worse," Kidd said.

But homeowners have options, and they should never take "no" for an answer, she said. Sixty percent of those who try by themselves to stave off foreclosure end up losing their home because they're unaware of the available assistance programs, she said. The center educates and advocates for residents so they can stay in their homes.

Judy Richter of North Charleston came to the clinic on Saturday to see whether she could find some help. Buying her home was the best decision she ever made, but she said she's had a hard time recently making those payments.

Medical problems forced her to temporarily cut back her hours as a bus driver, and she's been struggling to catch up on her bills. She's two months behind on her mortgage, and she's hopeful the center can help her either reduce her monthly payments or reduce some of the late fees.

"They show you what your options are," she said.

Randle said many people may not know about resources such as the Homeownership Resource Center, and she wants to make them aware. "There's places you can go, and people who can help you," she said.

Reach Diette Courrégé at 937-5546 or dcourrege@postandcourier.com.