BHPC Foreclosure Prevention Forum a Huge Success for NHS and Partners

By: Jessica Schmidt, Philanthropy Manager, NHS of Baltimore

April 21st, 2009 was quite a sight to behold for anyone working in the housing industry in Baltimore. Housing counselors, lawyers, loan servicers, housing advocates and representatives from the City and State came together for a day long forum to discuss foreclosure prevention. Everyone had the same agenda- what can I do to make a difference? Panelists dealing in all aspects of the foreclosure crisis from front line housing counselors to code enforcement lawyers to members of the FDIC spoke on their experiences and what they see going forward. The forum was an opportunity for everyone working to prevent foreclosures and preserve neighborhoods to have a discussion with their fellow practitioners learning from their successes and downfalls.

The forum was an excellent example of what is needed to solve this crisis, one group cannot do it alone and they shouldn’t be expected to. This is a complicated crisis with long-term consequences that need to be addressed from all sides.

Discussions like the ones that went on Tuesday need to be held to ensure that we are all reading from the same script. Obviously each group has a specific problem to focus on, from dealing directly with homeowners to crafting new legislation, but if we don’t step back every once and awhile and look at the big picture we could be wasting efforts. In these economic times everyone and every organization needs to focus on efficiency and maximizing their efforts.

Meetings such as the forum allow practitioners to do just that, it allows them to talk to others in the field, learn what works and what doesn’t, learn what programs they offer to send clients to, and to learn how we can all work together to make a difference.

Times are tough in Baltimore, but meetings like the Baltimore Homeownership Preservation Coalition’s community forum remind us that we are all in this together and many people are working very hard to find solutions and progress is being made. Keep up the good work Baltimore.

To learn more about this year's forum please visit, http://www.preservehomeownership.org/