Congressman Elijah Cummings' Foreclosure Event Broadened My Perspective

By: Salina Greene, Outreach Coordinator, NHS of Baltimore

This past weekend, my colleagues and I were fortunate enough to participate in a free foreclosure prevention event held in Baltimore. It was unlike anything I had experienced in the past. My expectations as a volunteer were completely altered once I began working.

The morning started out fairly commonplace. Once the doors opened, the reality of the desperate need for housing services hit home for me. There were approximately 100 people waiting outside even before the event opened. By mid-morning, there was a line of people around the building. We estimated 1500 people showed up trying to fight for their homes.

I encountered people from all walks of life and situations. One of my duties was to manage the enormous crowd who tried to rush all of the lenders. I took some time throughout the day to speak with individuals and families about their particular experiences in this recession. There were three families whom I took personal interest in over the course of the day.

The first lady I spoke with ran up to me and begged me to help her. She had been in a dispute with her lender for 8 months to no avail. She felt she had run out of options and no one would hear her case. It is interesting to note, this woman was fully employed and received a decent salary, however she was the victim of an Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM). Her partner had also lost his job due to the recession. She tried to work something out with the bank but she said they would not return her calls or respond to other forms of attempted contact.

Surprisingly, a number of people complained about not being able to connect successfully with their lenders via telephone. This is why they chose to come to the event instead and seek help from the pro-bono attorneys present at the event. Another couple told me they had driven three hours to be there because they felt they had no other options. A third person told me she would chain herself to the building until someone helps her out. I overheard quite a few individuals discussing their cases and trying to find alternatives to survive.

I knew a lot of people were facing foreclosure but up until this point, I did not know the level of desperation. Not everyone was able to get the resolve they had hoped for as some cases were more complicated than others. For a few people who were on this side of the coin, I was able to reach out to a number of them and encourage them to contact our office for some help. This brought an air of relief to them in so many ways.

Basically, all people wanted was some encouragement and to know someone cares about them and their families. In all, I am glad this event was held because I saw so many people crying and heard sounds of relief that they had been able to come to a resolution with their lenders. I hope this initiative can continue in the future.