March 25, 2008
National Foreclosure Hotline Announces More Foreclosure Prevention Partners
MINNEAPOLIS - March 24, 2008 - Five more foreclosure prevention agencies are working with the Homeownership Preservation Foundation (HPF), the national non-profit counseling organization that operates (888) 995-HOPE™, to help homeowners remedy their mortgage problems and keep their homes.
The agencies, Houston-based Money Management International, Orlando-based Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Central Florida, Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Dallas, Michigan-based Greenpath and Los Angeles-based By Design, have added more than 200 counselors fielding calls from across the nation to HPF’s Homeownership HOPE™ Hotline. Every day about 4,500 homeowners call the HOPE Hotline and seek solutions to their mortgage problems.
HPF selected the agencies as members of this collaborative network after they had undergone a rigorous assessment of counselor training, expertise and interaction with homeowners. They joined the five counseling agencies that have been providing counseling services through the HOPE Hotline since the toll-free resource was created in 2005. These existing members include Auriton Solutions, Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Atlanta, Consumer Credit Counseling Services of San Francisco, Novadebt and Springboard Non-Profit Consumer Credit Management.
“These added agencies bring more counseling resources to assist homeowners calling the HOPE Hotline,” said Colleen Hernandez, executive director and president of HPF. “And they are truly the best of the best – they have the experience, the capacity and the technology to bring this important service to more Americans every day. A typical counseling session can last about an hour and call spikes often come unannounced. During busy times, we have more than 450 counselors to help those in need of counseling. No matter the situation, HPF and its network can provide options and information to help keep troubled homeowners out of foreclosure.”
HPF counseling partners are each certified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and maintain stringent professional development requirements for their counselors and quality controls to monitor their work with individual homeowners. Together with community-based face-to-face counselors from across the country, HPF counselors actively engage in the financial situations of American homeowners and help evaluate options for how best to manage challenging financial obligations and develop innovative solutions to preserve the American dream of homeownership.
Eight of ten foreclosure prevention counseling agencies that have partnered with HPF are members of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.
HPF and its HOPE Hotline have been prominently featured as a key resource for American homeowners in need of financial counseling. Prominent officials who have directed Americans to call (888) 995-HOPE include President George W. Bush, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) and countless other federal, state and local elected officials from across the United States.
About the Homeownership Preservation Foundation
Homeownership Preservation Foundation is a Minneapolis-based nonprofit dedicated to reducing foreclosures and preserving homeownership for American homeowners. The Foundation partners with city, county and state governments; federal government agencies; community-based nonprofit organizations; and mortgage companies to offer creative solutions to preserve homeownership. HPF’s cornerstone service is the Homeowner’s HOPE™ Hotline, a foreclosure prevention counseling service available free to American homeowners by calling 888-995-HOPE™. For more information about the Homeownership Preservation Foundation or the Homeowner’s HOPE Hotline, visit www.995hope.org.
