Forum in Soundview to Help Homeowners Stave off Foreclosures

An article in the Daily News highlights the foreclosure prevention program at Legal Services NYC-Bronx. LS-NYC Bronx advocates will be on hand tonight at the “Preventing Home Foreclosures – Knowing Your Rights and Finding Assistance” at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the Harding Park Homeowners Association (1820 Gildersleeve Ave, Soundview) to help residents dealing with foreclosure or those who have received a loan modification, forbearance or are on a payment plan.

From the article:

After she lost her job as a respiratory therapist in December 2010, Diana Ildefonso fell behind on her mortgage.

“I was out of work for five, six months. It was hard. I was on the
brink of foreclosure,” said Ildefonso, 59, of University Heights.

[…]

“(There) are free services that a lot of people don’t know about,” said
Justin Haines, director of the foreclosure prevention unit at Legal
Services NYC-Bronx.

The group has a walk-in clinic in Bronx Supreme Court where homeowners
can get advice and be assessed for loan modifications and other
programs.

Ildefonso met with the group in February after her initial foreclosure hearing.

“I was afraid to deal with anybody else because I know there are a lot
of scammers out there,” she said. “But they helped me get back on
track.”

Legal Services helped her secure a $25,000 no-interest loan through the
Mortgage Assistance Program from the non profit, Sustainable
Neighborhoods LLC.

Ildefonso’s attorney worked directly with Deutsche Bank to reinstate
her loan. Her new mortgage arrangement was finalized just last month.

She is now up to date on her $1,621 monthly mortgage payment for her six-bedroom home.

“It’s all past me,” Ildefonso said. “Now I can look to the future, keep my home and sleep well at night.”

Click here to read the full piece.