Foreclosure program offers hope

By Scott Shenk

Published: October 4, 2008

Veronica Flannagan suffers from debilitating arthritis and cares for two grandchildren and a mentally disabled adult son.

She lives on meager disability checks and gets less than $400 a month for two of the grandchildren.

Prior to March, she had had no problems affording the mortgage on her northern Albemarle home. But after her husband left, the wheels seemed to fall off. He no longer provided support, and none of her relatives would help. In turn, she fell behind on the payments.

The 56-year-old, wheelchair-bound Flannagan soon got word that her house was being foreclosed on, and in June it happened. Her home was sold at auction.

Since then, she and her grandchildren have lived in motels and with friends.

Flannagan’s case is emblematic of the kinds of complex situations that often accompany foreclosures and evictions, according to local authorities and groups that seek to help people at risk of losing their homes.

She is one of a growing number facing such situations, as foreclosures and evictions are on the rise, area housing assistance officials say.

Albemarle Sheriff J.E. “Chip” Harding’s office enforces evictions, and shortly after he took office in January, he noticed the growing problem.

“We saw an approximately 40 percent increase in evictions the last couple years,” Harding said. In 2006, the Sheriff’s Office issued 203 eviction notices between January and August. This year during the same period, Albemarle deputies have enforced 284 evictions.

So the sheriff, who has a college degree in social work, started a program aimed at helping people avoid being evicted. Now, when deputies serve an eviction notice, they take with them a letter with phone numbers of organizations that can help.

Flannagan tried some of the organizations on Harding’s letter, but has found no way out of her situation.

“I don’t have nobody,” she said shortly after the foreclosure of her house. “You wonder, where do you go? I’m 56 years old, and I gotta start all over again. And I’m handicapped. It’s scary for me.”

Part of Flannagan’s problem was that her situation was complicated with family issues, and as a result she sought help a little late in the game.

Workers with area home assistance organizations say time is of the essence when dealing with eviction or foreclosure.

Shelley Murphy, director of program services at the Piedmont Housing Alliance, emphasized that anyone with financial problems should seek help as early as possible.

“People who are behind, they need to call” for help, she said.

The housing alliance focuses on financial counseling and education. Their primary clients are homeowners who may face mortgage default, but the alliance also helps those with credit problems, as well as first-time homebuyers.

The increase in foreclosures has been eye-opening, she said. The alliance typically used to handle about one case a month. About a year ago, that started increasing dramatically. Now they get two to three cases a week. Most of their clients are low to middle-class income earners.

The alliance this year was awarded a $29,000 grant from the city of Charlottesville to help qualified residents avoid foreclosure, Murphy said. The guidelines are strict, as the clients must have the ability to fix their situation after one-time financial assistance, Murphy said.

Harding said some people have called the organizations on his list seeking free handouts. And there are some who don’t deserve help — such as a recently evicted couple who had nice new vehicles in their driveway.

He started the program to help hardworking people who may have fallen on hard times.

“They’re the ones I hope this letter reaches,” he said, “and they can seek assistance.”

FINDING HELP

Community organizations that can help with evictions and foreclosures:

Love INC: 977-7777

MACCA-CARES: 295-3171, ext. 4

Piedmont Housing Alliance: 817-2436

Albemarle County Social Services: 972-4010

Salvation Army: 295-4058

United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area (information and referral line): 972-1703