by David Chapman
Staff Writer
Hills, valleys and a large dose of “good” stress.
For close to a year now, that’s been the routine for attorneys Allison Albert and James Millard of Jacksonville Area Legal Aid’s “Project House-Hold” in Northwest Jacksonville. The two-person office — located at the Ribault Family Resource Center and surrounded by the zip codes of the areas hardest hit by foreclosure — provides assistance and guidance to distressed homeowners facing foreclosure-related problems within the area.
While the phone calls, e-mails and homeowners who drop by still remain a constant, more of the cases the two have tackled have reached litigation.
Millard estimated about 70 percent of the cases the office handles go to litigation compared to 30 percent being new cases. Neither, though, is complaining about the amount of work that needs to be done.
“We’re helping the people who need it with this problem,” said Millard.
Albert agreed, saying that representing and helping in some way the hundreds of distressed homeowners in the area has been rewarding. The two also believe they are making a dent in the problem.
“I think we’ve had a big impact,” she said.
It hasn’t been exactly easy, though.
As each individual case is different, there isn’t an end-all, be-all guide — or anything either learned in the classroom — that can fully prepare them for each problem. Combined with the client’s general wariness of the process and the inability to always provide a step-by-step guide to that process, handling foreclosures and the collateral issues that come with someone potentially losing can be fear-inducing.
“Not knowing is one of the hardest things,” said Albert.
“The unknown is tough ... the fear is there that the next knock on the door could be the police (issuing an eviction notice),” said Millard.
In addition, the rules have changed a couple times the past year with federal foreclosure initiatives like the Troubled Asset Relief Program and President Barack Obama’s foreclosure prevention programs, which have changed certain processes.
While the past and present are filled with the hills and valleys, Project House-Hold’s future is still an unsettled road as funding could be an issue.
Last year, Council Vice President Jack Webb and Council member Glorious Johnson helped secure a $184,840 grant from the City while The Community Foundation supplied $30,000 toward the hiring of the two.
Webb said he’s followed the program and has seen nothing but positives. But like with any program that falls under the City, times are difficult.
“I think they’re doing a great job,” said Webb. “We’re (Council members) going to do our best ... it’s tough times right now, but we’re hoping at the end of the process there will be funds for them.”
Albert, Millard and the distressed homeowners they’ve helped are hoping, too.
While they’ve been able to help hundreds thus far, the foreclosure issue isn’t going away anytime soon, they said, and could end up becoming worse. The idea was supported recently by RealtyTrac.com, which tracks foreclosure filings, and recently reported foreclosure filings were up 32 percent since June 2008 along with a record high in July of more than 360,000 filings.
“Hopefully something can get done,” said Millard, then half-jokingly added: “My wife asks me about it every day.”
Neither have heard much in regard to the program’s future, but agreed that cutting ties would be hard felt by not only those in need in the near future but by the clients currently in the process.
Until word does come down, though, they’ll continue the fight and remain readily accessible to those in need of assistance and guidance with doors open.
While they are stationed in Northwest Jacksonville, their clients are like anyone else facing the crisis through the city.
“They’re normal people, every day Joes that have faced hardships and had good faith intentions,” said Millard. “Whether it’s unforeseen circumstance, doctor bills, the loss of a job or spouse, it’s been difficult for them.”
Many times, said Albert, the homeowners don’t have a chance to save their homes without representation and assistance to get through the legal red tape.
“It can be devastating,” she said. “It can be a battle they don’t know how to fight.”
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