“I didn’t know the danger my home was in.”

The HomeOwnership Center of Greater Dayton has a unique, new program to prevent foreclosures on the homes of the poor, helping them hang onto their most valuable asset and a place to live.

Ruby had been dealt a rotten hand. The 59-year-old couldn’t work because of a back and neck injury. She lived on a very limited disability income, and was in danger of losing her house. But thanks to the HomeOwnership Center of Greater Dayton (HOCGD), managed by St. Mary Development Corporation, Ruby’s face beams and she thanks God that she still owns her house.

“I didn’t know the danger my home was in,” says Ruby, who often struggles with reading and didn’t understand she was behind in her payments. “I thought the bank was paying my taxes but they weren’t. When you don’t understand, you get messed up.”

Ruby has lived in her house for 20 years. She grew up in the same neighborhood, and had even taken in a cousin who was homeless.

“When they started building new houses in my neighborhood, my taxes went up but I didn’t know it,” she says. “I won’t get in trouble again.”

The HomeOwnership Center of Greater Dayton helped Ruby save her home, and taught her what she needs to know so she won’t lose it in the future. HOCGD is one of 12 nonprofit organizations that received funding from the Ohio Office of Housing and Community Partnerships to establish the Ohio Home Rescue Fund, a foreclosure prevention program aimed at helping low-income families avoid foreclosure.

“Ruby had been struggling for two years to catch up with her mortgage,” says Jamie Clifton, Ruby’s HOCGD counselor. “She had issues with back taxes as well as a high adjustable-rate mortgage. We were able to help her modify her loan and provided $2,000 in rescue funds to get her caught up so she won’t have any more late fees.”

The Ohio Home Rescue Fund offers forgivable loans of up to $3,000 each to homeowners in danger of foreclosure. Eligible families must have a household income at or below 65 percent of the area median income and be able to prove their ability to meet future mortgage obligations. In addition to the rescue fund loan, participants receive foreclosure prevention and budget counseling to help them avoid more trouble in the future.

“The Ohio Home Rescue Fund is a necessary next step toward stemming the tide of foreclosures in Dayton. It can help delinquent borrowers who have experienced a temporary crisis get back on track,” says Beth Deutscher, Executive Director of HOCGD, which is a member of the national NeighborWorks® network.

The Ohio foreclosure prevention initiative is part of the NeighborWorks Center for Foreclosure Solutions, an initiative of NeighborWorks America, a national nonprofit organization committed to preserving homeownership in the face of rising foreclosure rates through public outreach, education and counseling.

“Ohio currently leads the nation in foreclosures and by providing financial assistance as well as counseling, we have the opportunity to keep more families in their homes,” says NeighborWorks District Director Paul Poston. While many families are able to get back on track with their mortgage payments after working with a counselor and lender, others need additional funds to bring their payments current.

NeighborWorks organizations have also partnered with the Homeownership Preservation Foundation’s 888-995-HOPE hotline, which provides counseling services to delinquent borrowers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  In cases where local assistance is appropriate, hotline counselors refer borrowers back to local organizations. The partnership with the HomeOwnership Center of Greater Dayton links borrowers to the Ohio Home Rescue Fund and other local resources in the community.

“When I signed the final papers, I cried,” says Ruby. “I didn’t know how close I was to losing my home. God put the HomeOwnership Center in my life. I am blessed.”

Ruby had lived in her home for 20 years, but almost lost it to foreclosure, which would have left her—and a homeless cousin she had taken in—without a place to live.

Ruby’s home is safe but hundreds of other poor families in the Dayton area have their houses at risk of foreclosure. The Dayton area has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation. There were more than 600 foreclosures in January alone.

We work toward the day when

all residents of southwest Ohio -- especially the economically disadvantaged -- have a decent, affordable

place to live and become part of a thriving community.