The Greensboro Housing Coalition’s (GHC) reach expands far beyond city boundaries. That’s especially true for GHC’s Mortgage Team, which works with homeowners who are at risk of losing their home to foreclosure.
People travel from miles away to meet with our Housing Counselors, who work to help clients maintain homeownership.
In Rockingham County, an elderly couple feared losing their home of 10+ years. They usually made their mortgage payments through a combination of SSI and income they earned from their small flooring installation business. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. A blow to small businesses of all types, this was no exception. Demand for new flooring plummeted. The business was no longer sustainable. Without that income, the threat of foreclosure loomed.
Fortunately for clients in dire situations, our Mortgage Counselors provide personalized financial education and budgeting, serve as a liaison between client and lenders to navigate loan modifications, and refer clients to partner organizations to help them access other needs.
Over in Harnett County, about 90 miles away, schools began shutting down due to COVID-19, leaving one woman, a substitute teacher, without work hours or pay. Her husband’s work hours had also been cut due to the pandemic, leaving the couple struggling to come up with the funds to make their mortgage payment. The couple drove to Greensboro to work with a GHC Housing Counselor.
Nancy Antoon has been a housing counselor at GHC for several years. Equipped with knowledge and experience to navigate situations like this, she identified the appropriate program to help both households receive $1,000 towards their mortgage payment. Now, neither household is facing the threat of foreclosure; in fact, one is now a month ahead on their payments!
“The clients were so appreciative,” says Nancy. “When I called to tell them they were selected, one said we had ‘made his day after much worry and illness.’”