Foreclosure Help Free Saturday

Record Housing Issues Bring State Officials To Rescue

LABELLE, FL. -- Nearly 150 homeowners have pre-registered for Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink's free Florida Housing Help Workshop being held this Saturday January 10th in Cape Coral to help area homeowners struggling with foreclosure.

The free workshop, to be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Cape Coral City Hall Complex located at 1015 Cultural Park Blvd, Cape Coral, offers one-on-one meetings with lenders and HUD-certified counselors as well as job and financial counselors.  Counseling services will also be available for small business owners facing financial challenges.

"I deeply regret that there is a need for this workshop, but I am proud of the response we have received from lenders and counselors willing to work together to provide alternatives and hands-on assistance," said CFO Sink. "Recent reports show that the Fort Myers-Cape Coral area leads the nation in foreclosures – as many as one in 59 homes in the area are in foreclosure. We must turn those numbers around."

Sink oversees the Department of Financial Services, which is producing the workshop on behalf of the CFO's Financial Action Team (FACT).  Sink created the FACT Team last year to ensure Floridians get all of the federal benefits they may be entitled to under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA). 

Pre-registration is encouraged for those wanting to meet individually with a lender or counselor.  To register, call the CFO's toll-free consumer helpline at 1-877-My-FL-CFO (1-877-693-5236).

In addition to private meetings with lenders and counselors, the workshop will offer free seminars throughout the day on a variety of programs on subjects including what to expect when meeting with a housing counselor, why and how to create a family financial plan, local services available to homeowners, affordable housing opportunities, foreclosure prevention measures and legal options, short sales and real estate options, and how to avoid foreclosure scams.  Speakers represent a variety of non-profit agencies.

The FACT Team members represent a broad coalition of financial and housing stakeholders and are continuing to study ways to help Floridians through the foreclosure crisis.  For more information on the Florida Housing Help Workshop and the FACT Team, please visit http://www.myfloridacfo.com/FloridaHousingHelp/.