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Court, Legal Aid team up to help stop Summit County foreclosures
TRACEY BLAIR
Legal News Reporter
Published: August 9, 2019
Most people who go through the foreclosure process are dealing with other stresses such as a job loss, an illness or the death of a spouse or parent.
A new partnership between Summit County Common Pleas Court and Community Legal Aid aims to make things easier to help those facing the possibility of losing their homes.
On July 10, a new program – a free educational course to Summit County residents facing foreclosure - kicked off at the Akron-Summit County Library Norton Branch.
The program will be offered twice a month at various library branches in the county. The course will be required of all homeowners who want to pursue foreclosure mediation, but will also be offered to the general public.
Summit County Common Pleas Judge Amy Corrigall Jones said the collaboration began when court officials reached out to Legal Aid for help as to what might help people navigate the foreclosure process.
“We were seeing individuals, not informed about the process, struggling to save their homes, not aware of the opportunities available to them, such as loan modifications,” Judge Jones said. “Without appropriate knowledge, it can be difficult to navigate the foreclosure process. Our hope for this course is that homeowners will walk away with the tools they need to understand the process.”
The course covers topics such as loan modification programs, the foreclosure process, bankruptcy and other strategies for keeping your home.
The course is modeled after a similar partnership between the non-profit law firm and Stark County that started in 2012.
Legal Aid Staff Attorney Tim Kozlowski said about 20 homeowners a month in Stark County leave the course better prepared to legally defend their cases. In addition, foreclosure proceedings have become more efficient, resulting in fewer mediations and status hearings, which translates into cost savings to the court.
“What we teach really calms the individuals down so they can concentrate on how to save their homes,” Kozlowski said. “Any court action is confusing to most individuals. People going through a foreclosure are afraid. They are being told by family, friends and others things that aren’t true, like that you have to move immediately after a foreclosure is filed. They often move to a worse situation when they leave right away. Then their neighbors get upset. The grass is not being mowed and there is an abandoned house. We tell them they don’t have to move right away – stay put. A lot of individuals are also vulnerable to scams after being inundated by paperwork. They are normally falling behind on their house payments for a reason. The foreclosure paperwork adds to their stress.”
Three Legal Aid attorneys rotate teaching the classes, which are 1 ½ hours long. County foreclosure lawsuit defendants are ordered to attend the class within 60 days of filing a Request for Mediation.
“We guide them through the pitfalls of their loan modification application and the supporting documents the banks demand,” Kozlowski said. “We also warn them about scams. Afterward, they can follow up with a Legal Aid attorney and we will review their loan modification application for completeness. Normally, they just have to go to one class. It’s amazing how much an hour-and-a-half class and a follow up can save someone’s home. The program brings calm to the whole situation.”
Community Legal Aid Executive Director Steven McGarrity agreed.
“For someone who’s never been inside a courtroom before, it can be a very intimidating thing,” McGarrity said. “Having an attorney who is familiar with the process walk you through that - explain your rights – can help you feel more comfortable and confident going into it.”
Akron-Summit County Public Library Executive Director Pamela Hickson-Stevenson called the new program a necessary one.
Akron ranks 38th among similar sized U.S. cities in having negative home equity, with roughly one-third of homeowners’ mortgages exceeding their property value. And three of the five zip codes with the highest foreclosure filing rates had disproportionate percentages of their population consisting of minorities – one as high as 79 percent, according to Legal Aid statistics.
“Both Community Legal Aid and the Akron-Summit County Public Library understand the critically important work of servicing the needs of individuals and families in our area,” Hickson-Stevenson said.