PARMA, Ohio – The good news is, the foreclosure rate dropped in Cuyahoga county by more than 10 percent in 2011. The bad news is, new foreclosures are still coming in at a rate of more than 900 a month.
In response to this on-going problem, members of the Cuyahoga County Foreclosure Mediation Department proclaimed March as “Save Our Homes Month.”
The Cuyahoga County Court is doing its part by hosting a series of Foreclosure Prevention Workshops in several cities in the next 10 days.
Homeowners facing foreclosure will receive counseling from HUD-approved housing counselors, Court Mediators and Magistrates, followed by free, one-on-one help.
The first of these workshops takes place on Mar. 22, at the Parma Community Center from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Experts from the Ohio Department of Commerce, Legal Aid, and the Veteran’s Services Commission will also be on-hand to help homeowners who are facing foreclosure.
The Cuyahoga County Foreclosure Mediation Department works towards getting both homeowners and their banks communicating, in effort to keep people in their homes.
Other free foreclosure workshops will be held at the following locations:
Shaker Heights
Stephanie Tubbs-Jones Community Building
Mar. 24, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
3540 Lee Road, Shaker Heights, Ohio
Solon Community Center
Mar. 25, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
3500 Portz Parkway
Solon, OH 44139
Euclid Public Library
Mar. 26, 6 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.
631 E. 222 Street
Euclid, OH 44123
In response to the foreclosure crisis, 5 On Your Side has invited residents to report vacant/condemned homes in their neighborhood through the NewsChannel5 Building Better Neighborhoods initiative.
Residents are encouraged to send in pictures and information on distressed properties to our Troubleshooter Facebook or Twitter accounts @joeonyourside . Report a home using your smartphone and our free NewsChannel5 app.
If you’re dealing with a vacant home in your neighborhood, use the Cleveland Housing Court Vacant Home Toolkit to guide you through the process of moving a vacant home to progress step-by-step.
NewsChannel5 will bring you a series of reports and updates on the progress made through the Building Better Neighborhoods initiative throughout 2012.