More than 300 people gathered in a conference room at Invesco Field on Tuesday evening in the metro area’s largest foreclosure forum to date.
“Foreclosure is tragic, but the message I want to give you tonight is that it is not inevitable,” said John Carson, regional director of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
HUD, the city of Denver and several housing-counseling groups hosted the event to help homeowners struggling with their mortgages. Weather problems in Dallas prevented HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson from attending.
The metro area recorded 26,500 foreclosures last year, said Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, who described his own struggles to keep his home in 1976.
“This is not an individual failure,” Hickenlooper said. “We are seeing a systemic failure.”
Sharon Foxworthy was among those seeking help after payments on her family’s mortgages adjusted this month from about $2,400 to more than $3,000.
“We are gasping for air,” Foxworthy said. “Why can’t I connect with someone who can give me real answers?”
The family met its March mortgage payment by skipping other bills, but needs to refinance quickly to avoid foreclosure.
Carson said about 96 percent of home owners seeking help from HUD-approved counselors were able to avoid losing their homes.
The state’s foreclosure prevention hotline, 1-877-601-4673, has helped 6,300 families avoid foreclosure, said Zachary Urban, director of housing counseling with Brothers Redevelopment. On Monday, the hotline fielded about 200 calls.
Aldo Svaldi: 303-954-1410 or asvaldi@denverpost.com
