Civic Leaders Mobilize as 'Relief Pitchers' in Battle to Stop DE Foreclosures: Personal Contact at the Heart of Plan to Help At-Risk Families Keep Their Homes.

WILMINGTON, Del. -- More than 100 civic leaders across northern Delaware spent today preparing for a new role in their communities - as Relief Pitchers in the battle against home foreclosures.

With foreclosure now a national epidemic and with the foreclosure rate inching upward in various parts of The First State, a diverse group of leaders composed of clergy, employers, union chiefs, nonprofit heads, elected representatives and others symbolically donned Relief Pitchers caps at the conclusion of a series of heartfelt talks in Downtown Wilmington. The presentations focused on why families may be at risk of foreclosure, how families may be reacting to their situations and what can be done by community leaders to de-stigmatize the process of seeking help.

The Relief Pitchers Summit, convened by Lieutenant Governor John C. Carney Jr.'s Task Force on Foreclosure with assistance from seven cosponsors - the Office of U.S. Sen. Thomas R. Carper (D-DE), the Office of Congressman Michael Castle (R-DE), the State Bank Commissioner, Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA), the Federation of Delaware Housing Counseling Agencies and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh (FHLBank), represents a response to the chronic inability of many loan servicers and other third parties to successfully engage at-risk homeowners in a dialogue aimed at helping them save their homes. It is the next step of a comprehensive and ongoing action plan set down by the Task Force.

"In baseball, a relief pitcher is called in when things aren't going so well for the team," said Saundra Johnson, DSHA's executive director. "The outcome of the game hangs in the balance.

"Studies show that the biggest issue standing between families forfeiting their homes and saving them is fear," Johnson, who served as emcee, told the leaders. "As a trusted leader in your community, congregation or workplace, you're in a unique position to bring this issue out in the open. By providing a few timely messages, you can make the difference between families keeping or losing their homes."

According to Lt. Gov. Carney, seven out of ten mortgage holders who are seriously delinquent have absolutely no contact with their loan servicer, a failure to communicate that not only increases the threat of foreclosure but also raises the odds of vacant properties, neighborhood blight and the loss of precious tax revenues. The Lt. Governor, along with Sen. Carper and Congressman Castle, who also spoke, emphasized that at-risk homeowners need to know quickly what counseling services are available and why it's in their best interest to speak with someone.

Another speaker at the event, the Rev. Maurice Butler, pastor of Elizabeth African-American Methodist Episcopal Church, painted a very human picture of the economic headwinds that many at-risk families face.

"When you're scrambling to afford the gas you need to get to your minimum wage job, when you're racing to put dinner on the table as a single mother of two, when you're bombarded by messages on your answering machine, you just might be distracted from getting help with your mortgage," explained Rev. Butler.

"For those who decide to seek help," he continued, "there are other daunting issues such as, 'Where do I go? How do I get there? Will I have to pay a fee for counseling? Will I have to tell someone how I got into this mess?' Homeowners may not understand that the reasons they are facing foreclosure are completely legitimate," he added.

The region's newly minted Relief Pitchers must sympathize, inform and educate, according to Rev. Butler, by using their individual platform in the community - a sermon, employee meeting, union gathering or club meeting, for example - to make those already behind in mortgage payments feel comfortable enough to seek help. These individuals should be directed to a convenient housing counseling agency that will assess their particular situation confidentially and at no cost.

Lenders will be brought into the counseling process only as appropriate. In addition, said Johnson, DSHA's executive director, her agency stands ready with proven programs that may be of assistance, including a program of temporary loans (DEMAP) for those facing loss of income, poor health or other unforeseen circumstances.

To assist Relief Pitchers in their newfound mission, civic leaders were armed with some suggested messages they can employ with at-risk homeowners as well as contact information that they or homeowners themselves can use to tap a variety of resources.

"Comprehensive solutions to widespread problems like foreclosure don't happen overnight," Lt. Gov. Carney summarized, "but individualized solutions can occur rather quickly - one by one - if we empower those who are most in need of taking the first step.

"Please wear this cap as a very real symbol of your commitment, and wear it proudly as you move about the community," Carney concluded. "And thanks for being a friend to a family in need."