Struggling Homeowners Invited To Free 'Making Home Affordable' Event Thursday

Homeowners struggling to pay mortgages will have an opportunity to learn what options are available and learn about alternatives to foreclosure during a special event being held Thursday in Rosemont.

The event will allow homeowners to meet one-on-one with nonprofits and organizations to learn about their options.

The Obama Administration’s Making Home Affordable Program and the HOPE Foundation will bring the nation’s largest mortgage servicers, along with nonprofits charged with providing housing counseling to homeowners to the one-day event. The Making Home Affordable Program is a free government program designed to help families avoid foreclosure and strengthen the housing market recovery.  The event is being held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.

A similar event was held last April and nearly 650 families received mortgage assistance at the event, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Treasury.

“This event offers struggling homeowners a unique opportunity to meet face-to-face with their mortgage company and a housing expert approved by the federal government to discuss real solutions for their mortgage concerns,” Chief of Homeownership Preservation at the U.S. Department of the Treasury Darius Kingsley said in a news release. “There are already more than 43,000 Chicago area homeowners in the Making Home Affordable Program, saving a median of more than $570 every month on their mortgage payments. Every homeowner who attends this event will gain a clearer idea of the assistance available to them – and many homeowners will leave with a solution in hand.” 

Homeowners will be seen on a first come, first-served basis and are encouraged to bring all mortgagedocuments, income documents, and hardship letters. Some of the largest mortgage companies will be in attendance including: Bank of America, Chase, Citi Mortgage, Fifth Third, GMAC Mortgage, Homeward Residential, HSBC, Nationstar, Ocwen, OneWest, PNC, Select Portfolio Servicing, Seterus, US Bank and Wells Fargo.

In addition, several local, HUD-approved, non-profit counseling organizations will be on-site as well, according to the news release. The list includes AGORA Community Services Corporation NFP, Family Credit Management, Genesis Housing Development Corporation, GreenPath Debt Solutions, Kingdom Community, Inc., Mission of Peace National Corporation, Money Management International , Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago, NID-HCA SIMMONS, NID-HCA Webber, North Side Community Federal Credit Union, Northwest Side Housing Center, NovaDebt , S&S Development Group NFP, Spanish Coalition for Housing and The Regional Fair Housing Center , Inc.

Representatives from state agencies, including the Illinois Hardest Hit Program funded by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Hardest Hit Fund, will also be in attendance to assist homeowners.

For more information and a full list of the necessary documents to bring can be found at Making Home Affordable and HOPE Now. The free event will be held from 1 – 8 p.m., at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center at 5555 North River Road in Rosemont. Free parking will be available in the Convention Center Garage at the Balmoral Avenue Entrance.