From March 17-20, 2009 more than 110 community leaders in target cities were engaged in community stabilization efforts.

Atlanta, GA — NeighborWorks® America’s Southern District office partnered with the Louisiana Foreclosure Prevention and Mitigation Task Force to launch a community stabilization road show in Shreveport, Alexandria, Baton Rouge and Lake Charles in March.

These comprehensive meetings were designed to help stabilize communities by ensuring resources are available to homeowners who are behind on their mortgages and in danger of losing their homes.
(See Synopsis of this effort.)

The Southern District teamed up with members of the Louisiana Foreclosure Prevention and Mitigation Task Force that included staff from FDIC, Louisiana Housing Finance Agency, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and Fannie Mae, to execute a series of strategic meetings designed to educate and inspire action to help stabilize communities in Louisiana.

From March 17 to 20, 2009, the task force engaged more than 110 community leaders in target cities, educating them on the negative impact foreclosures are having on their communities; exploring the geographic distribution of mortgage risk in target communities; showcasing effective marketing and outreach strategies to reach at risk homeowners; sharing creative strategies on capitalizing on community resources; delving into federal foreclosure prevention initiatives; highlighting best practices of stabilizing communities; and, leading planning sessions on formulating local intervention and prevention strategies.

NeighborWorks Rebuilding Communities Management Consultant James Ross: "We've worked so hard over the past few years to ensure counselors on the ground got the appropriate training. It was gratifying to see how the audience understood the value of NeighborWorks America."

Partnership Management Consultant Marshall Crawford and Rebuilding Communities Management Consultant James Ross took the lead in outlining resources NeighborWorks America brought to the communities via NeighborWorks Training Institutes as well as grants and trainings funded by the National Foreclosure Mitigation Program.

“We’ve worked so hard over the past few years to ensure counselors on the ground got the appropriate training,” said Ross. “It was gratifying to see how the audience understood the value in NeighborWorks America – that with the help of our trainings and working with our partners, Louisiana now has a team of highly trained housing and foreclosure mitigation counselors on the ground.”

The NeighborWorks team also stressed the importance of having a foreclosure outreach delivery system to link homeowners in need to certified counselors who can help. Best practice models on effective outreach delivery systems, including the Hope Hotline, 211 (United Way) model, plus a host of other strategies from around the country were discussed.

“It’s safe to say Louisiana gravitated towards the United Way or 211 model where callers in need could be transferred to certified counselors,” said Crawford. “In fact we met with the Executive Director of Louisiana’s United Way to engage her in this process, and she was very interested.”

Discussions also included technical assistance available from the Southern District to maximize on federal initiatives like the National Stabilization Program.

NeighborWorks Partnership Management Consultant Marshall Crawford: "The results of these meetings were extraordinary. We've really achieved all our marks."

“The results of these meetings were extraordinary,” said Crawford. “We really achieved all our marks.” Thus, a plan for developing a referral mechanism through Untied Way’s 211 is now in progress, and community leaders in Shreveport, Baton Rouge, Lake Charles and Alexandria now have contacts with all seven agencies certified in housing counseling and foreclosure mitigation counseling.

Local foreclosure task force members in Shreveport and Baton Rouge have also agreed to be part of the statewide task force while officials in Lake Charles and Alexandria are exploring the feasibility of creating taskforces. And, finally, several directors of local governments are now interested in developing a comprehensive strategy using NSP funding that includes a foreclosure mitigation counseling component.

In Louisiana, reports indicate foreclosure is a silent but growing epidemic - 6.95 percent of 474,836 households or 33,000 homes are past due on their mortgage payments, and Shreveport, Alexandria, Baton Rouge and Lake Charles continue to show signs of higher delinquencies. The state’s impending foreclosure crisis was further exacerbated by the cancellation of moratoriums instituted following the 2005 hurricanes.

During the moratorium, many Katrina survivors were able to keep their properties while paying a reasonable “carrying charge” rather than the full mortgage payment. Since 2007, many Louisiana homeowners already stretched by increasing energy bills, grocery costs, and insurance premiums, and cobbled by a slowing housing industry, and a deepening recession are now struggling to make their full mortgage payments.