No Paws Left Behind

The thought never crossed my mind that so many pets were also losing their homes or even worse just being abandoned due to the foreclosure crisis.

There is now a not for profit group offering helpful resources for owners and their animals that are victims of foreclosure. You can click this link to visit their site http://nopawsleftbehind.org

This is their mission statement:

Our Passion, Our Love, Our Mission

No Paws Left Behind, Inc. is a focus driven not for profit organization, designed to bring awareness to all communities the silent victims of foreclosure who have no voice or rights to implement change. As a united front, we will restore moral obligations toward all pets that have the potential to be, or have been, left behind to suffer needlessly. We further pledge to act as a support group for those who find foreclosure imminent and need help to find shelter for their beloved pets; be a resource for those who find or know of abandoned pets; and last, but by no means least, we must unite to end the needless suffering by creating a national movement targeting lawmakers to change the laws categorizing pets as personal property.

If you know of an animal that has been left behind to suffer, please contact your local animal shelter immediately.

Ohio Home Rescue Fund

Ohio Home Rescue Fund
Low- and moderate-income households that are in danger of losing their homes should contact:
1-888-995-HOPE (4673)

This toll-free hotline managed by the Homeownership Preservation Foundation (HPF) is open 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Callers will be connected to a nonprofit counselor who will provide telephone-based budget counseling assistance, customer triage and negotiation with lenders, when appropriate. If more assistance is needed, callers will be referred to a local nonprofit organization whose employees are certified to provide intensive financial counseling and direct consumers to local services and resources, including possible assistance through the Ohio Home Rescue Fund.

Background

In July 2006, the Ohio Department of Development's Office of Housing and Community Partnerships awarded a $1 million grant to Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Cleveland, in partnership with 11 other nonprofit organizations, to create the Ohio Home Rescue Fund, a statewide foreclosure prevention fund. The partner agencies are: Columbus Housing Partnership; Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development; East Akron Neighborhood Development Corporation; Home Ownership Center of Greater Cincinnati; Neighborhood Conservation Services of Barberton; Neighborhood Development Services; Neighborhood Housing Partnership of Greater Springfield; Neighborhood Housing Services of Hamilton; Neighborhood Housing Services of Toledo; Rural Opportunities, Inc. Ohio; and St. Mary Development Corporation.
The Ohio Home Rescue Fund is part of a larger foreclosure prevention initiative that includes a public education campaign, marketing and outreach efforts, telephone and face-to-face counseling, loss mitigation for the community, lenders and homeowners, and training for nonprofit counselors and consumers.
The Fund is expected to leverage more than $1.6 million of other public and private funds and provide financial assistance to an estimated 333 low- and moderate-income families in Ohio (up to $3,000 per household) that are in danger of losing their homes through foreclosure.
The Ohio Home Rescue Fund is funded through the Ohio Housing Trust Fund Discretionary Grant Program, which provides funding to eligible organizations to create housing opportunities, expand housing services and improve housing conditions for low- and moderate-income families and individuals.

Tips on avoiding Foreclosure from HUD

HUD RELEASES TIPS FOR AVOIDING FORECLOSURE Information aimed at helping more homeowners stay in their home
WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released its top 10 tips for homeowners who are facing foreclosure.
"These guidelines will assist homeowners who are struggling to pay their mortgage and could be threatened with foreclosure," said HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson. "We want to encourage homeowners to take action and use every resource available so that they can get control of their finances and stay in their home."
If you are unable to make your mortgage payment:
1. Don't ignore the problem.The further behind you become, the harder it will be to reinstate your loan and the more likely that you will lose your house.
2. Contact your lender as soon as you realize that you have a problem.Lenders do not want your house. They have options to help borrowers through difficult financial times.
3. Open and respond to all mail from your lender.The first notices you receive will offer good information about foreclosure prevention options that can help you weather financial problems. Later mail may include important notice of pending legal action. Your failure to open the mail will not be an excuse in foreclosure court.
4. Know your mortgage rights.Find your loan documents and read them so you know what your lender may do if you can't make your payments. Learn about the foreclosure laws and timeframes in your state (as every state is different) by contacting the State Government Housing Office.
5. Understand foreclosure prevention options.Valuable information about foreclosure prevention (also called loss mitigation) options can be found on the internet at www.fha.gov.
6. Contact a non-profit housing counselor.The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funds free or very low cost housing counseling nationwide. Housing counselors can help you understand the law and your options, organize your finances and represent you in negotiations with your lender if you need this assistance.
7. Prioritize your spending.After healthcare, keeping your house should be your first priority. Review your finances and see where you can cut spending in order to make your mortgage payment. Look for optional expenses-cable TV, memberships, entertainment-that you can eliminate. Delay payments on credit cards and other "unsecured" debt until you have paid your mortgage.
8. Use your assets. Do you have assets-a second car, jewelry, a whole life insurance policy-that you can sell for cash to help reinstate your loan? Can anyone in your household get an extra job to bring in additional income? Even if these efforts don't significantly increase your available cash or your income, they demonstrate to your lender that you are willing to make sacrifices to keep your home.
9. Avoid foreclosure prevention companies. Many for-profit companies will contact you promising to negotiate a loan work out with your lender. While these may be legitimate businesses, they will charge you a hefty fee (often two or three month's mortgage payment) for information and services your lender or a HUD approved housing counselor will provide for free if you contact them. You don't need to pay fees for foreclosure prevention help-use that money to pay the mortgage instead.
10. Don't lose your house to foreclosure recovery scams!If any firm claims they can stop your foreclosure immediately if you sign a document appointing them to act on your behalf, you may well be signing over the title to your property and becoming a renter in your own home! Never sign a legal document without reading and understanding all the terms and getting professional advice from an attorney, a HUD approved housing counselor or trusted real estate professional.
To find out more about HUD-approved housing counseling agencies and their services, please visit www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hcc/hcs.cfm or call toll free (800) 569-4287 on weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time). The same number can give you an automated referral to the three housing counseling agencies located closest to you.
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HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development, and enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.