Foreclosure Crisis

Check out this inspiring, powerful video; neighbors uniting to save the house of a former U.S. Marine in Minn.

http://collapsenet.com/free-resources/collapsenet-public-access/must-see-videos/item/6676-protesters-help-former-marine-save-foreclosed-home

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Wendy Booth ~ A Petaluma Neighbor Facing Foreclosure ~
Below is a statement that Wendy read in a press conference on Dec 4, 2011 for “National Day of Action to Occupy our Homes.” Her story was included in a subsequent NY Times article which covered similar actions taking place in various cities across the U.S. Below is Wendy’s press conference statement and to the right is a photo of her with son, Clay. Our efforts to negotiate with Citibank on their behalf have fallen on deaf ears; but we will continue to help Wendy’s family fight to keep their home. She will be speaking at our first Vigil on Feb 19th in Walnut Park.  Wendy Booth – statement

Also, check out the link below where Wendy and Occupy Petaluma are featured in the San Francisco Chronicle on Feb 5, 2012.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/02/05/BU0U1N1TBH.DTL

FORECLOSURE PREVENTION ZONES          

Petaluma will declare itself a “Foreclosure Prevention Zone” in February 2012. What does this mean? A city, town or county that declares itself a Foreclosure Prevention Zone (FPZ) is making a commitment to respond to the foreclosure crisis as a community or an alliance of communities. This approach will allow us to speak to lending institutions with a unified voice to request assistance in our common struggle to keep people in their homes. The foreclosure crisis doesn’t only affect individuals. It is having a destructive effect on thousands of communities across the country. Homeowners are losing their beloved homes or watching as their home values decline, renters must pay high rents, small business are losing customers who move away or cannot afford to frequent these businesses as often, schools close or reduce staff and local governments confront declining tax revenues and must cut back employees and services. The foreclosure crisis is weakening our communities and reducing our quality of life. Unless we unite as communities to address this devastating crisis, we will continue to sink deeper into the economic morass that, in large part, has been created by the foreclosure crisis.

The Foreclosure Crisis at a Glance   

• Today, an estimated 29% of all homes with mortgages are under- 
water. A total of  14 million homes will be foreclosed on from 2007 to the end of the crisis – one in every four mortgages! With foreclosures increasing, a growing imbalance of supply and demand is driving down home prices and driving up rents. Home price may fall another 20% in 2012.

• Middle class wealth is declining partly due to the foreclosure crisis. More than $7 trillion in home equity in the U.S. has been lost since 2006

• Middle-income households have been hit hard because home equity is a large share of their wealth. These households have seen their home equity decline by an estimated 66 percent.

• Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve recently said, “The challenges faced by the U.S. housing market today reflect, in part…a persistent excess supply of homes on the market; and losses arising from an often costly and inefficient foreclosure process (and from problems in the current servicing model more generally)… Absent any policies to help bridge this gap, the adjustment process will take longer…pushing house prices lower and thereby prolonging the downward pressure on the wealth of current homeowners and the resultant drag on the economy at large.”

• One in five U.S. foreclosures is in California. From 2008 to 2012, nearly 2 million homeowners in California have lost their homes to foreclosure with a home value loss of over $630 billion. Local governments have lost more than $17 billion in tax revenues due to the housing crisis.

• The top 4 banks foreclosing on California homeowners are Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup.

• In Sonoma County, from 2008 to 2012, there have been over 20,000 foreclosures with a home value loss of over $8.4 billion. Local governments have lost more than $200 million in tax revenues due to the housing crisis.

• Local governments must pick up the tab for foreclosures. In California, local governments expend an average of $20,000 in tax revenues for each foreclosed home by paying for the maintenance of blighted properties, trash removal, inspections, unpaid utility bills, sheriff evictions and so forth.

Sources:

1. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/28/business/daily-stock-market-activity.html

2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-judson/the-foreclosure-crisis-a-_b_1193179.html

3. http://dig.abclocal.go.com/kgo/PDF/Home-Wreckers-Report.pdf

THE FORECLOSURE PREVENTION ZONE (FPZ) MODEL   

FPZ DECLARATION:

We, the people of (name of city or county), pledge our wholehearted support for those homeowners in our community who are facing the hardship of foreclosure and eviction. As concerned residents, and various types of bodies with close ties to this community, we affirm our common purpose of ensuring the well-being of our entire community by responding with compassion, creativity and commitment to the foreclosure crisis. We recognize that while the foreclosure crisis affects everyone in different ways we must respond as a unified community to find lasting solutions. Therefore, in a spirit of trust and hope in a better future to come, we hereby declare (name of city or county) to be a Foreclosure Prevention Zone on this ___ day of __________, 2012.

FOUR STEPS FOR CREATING A FPZ:

1. ORGANIZE broad support and participation from key sectors in the community.  Discuss the FPZ concept with homeowners and renters, financial institutions, religious congregations, civic and social organizations, local government, small businesses, schools, medical facilities, labor unions, artists and musicians and others. Ask them to participate by (a) signing the FPZ Declaration; (b) visiting people who are facing foreclosure and eviction to offer support and assistance; and, (c) participating in nonviolent direct actions such as occupying the homes of people facing foreclosure and eviction.

2. EDUCATE the general public about the foreclosure crisis. Contact local media about potential news stories, write letters to the editor and submit opinion articles. Offer to speak at public events, business groups, religious congregations and schools. Provide printed information (such as leaflets and articles) at various community and organizational gatherings. Identify speakers, such as professors, lawyers, realtors and representatives from non-profit and social service organizations, who can (a) discuss the impact of the foreclosure crisis on local communities and (b) offer lasting solutions. Hold a public forum on the foreclosure crisis and invite homeowners and renters to tell their stories. Make signs, banners and posters for protests and other events. Ask radio and television stations to feature this topic on their shows.

3. ADVOCATE with homeowners and renters for effective action from government and lending institutions to implement lasting solutions for the foreclosure crisis. Ask your city council and county board of supervisors to pass the Resolution on the Declaration of a Foreclosure Prevention Zone. Contact your state and federal representatives and senators and ask them to hold hearings and pass legislation that addresses the foreclosure crisis and solutions. If they are already working to pass specific bills, build support in your community for the legislation. Demand that California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris file a lawsuit against lending institutions that have engaged in foreclosure fraud.

4. SUPPORT your community by establishing a weekly “Vigil for Our Neighbors in Foreclosure.” Your vigil can be a regular event for people facing foreclosure and eviction and for homeowners whose mortgages are underwater. Gather together weekly in a local park or other common area to share stories and discuss solutions. Create a safe, compassionate space where homeowners in distress can feel supported by their community. These vigils will raise awareness about the destructive effects of the foreclosure crisis on our communities and will express solidarity with our neighbors.

For more information on Foreclosure Crisis please contact Tim Nonn – timothynonn@gmail.com
707-364-3795

Draft Petaluma City Council Resolution (PDF)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Real Estate Assistance

CJ Holmes cjholmes@cjholmes.com (707) 578-5727 818 Mendocino Ave. Santa Rosa, CA  95401 http://www.occupy-our-homes.info/

Legal Assistance

Edie Sussman edielaw@comcast.net (707) 523-0733 Santa Rosa, CA

Joshua Katz jkatz@sonic.net (707) 546-4510 Santa Rosa, CA

Foreclosure Prevention Counseling

Ana Cahill Catholic Charities acahill@srcharities.org (707) 575-0215, x273 Santa Rosa, CA

Jeff Hoffman California Rural Legal Assistance of Sonoma County hoffmanlaw@sbcglobal.net (707) 528-9941 Santa Rosa, CA

Federal Programs

http://www.makinghomeaffordable.gov/pages/default.aspx

FAQS

Participating Lending Institutions in Sonoma County

Other Resources

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Holiday Moratorium on Foreclosures & Evictions!

Download the document Homewreckers – Information about the foreclosure crisis (pdf)

Thanksgiving Day through New Year’s Day

Please sign this petition for a national holiday moratorium on foreclosures and evictions. It will only take 2-3 minutes and it may help 20 million families facing foreclosure stay in their homes during the holidays. And please send the link to your friends. Thank you! Go to the Petition on change.org

News: Petaluma council backs Occupy’s push to delay foreclosures

By SAM SCOTT, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

The Petaluma City Council voted Monday to ask mortgage lenders and regulators to halt foreclosures during the holidays, a symbolic gesture that granted a real victory to protesters who proposed the idea. Read the article.

We call upon every bank, savings and loan and credit union in Sonoma County to declare a holiday moratorium on foreclosures and evictions from November 24, 2011 through January 1, 2012. Foreclosure and eviction is always an extremely difficult experience, but it is especially painful during the holiday season when individuals and families want to celebrate with loved ones in the comfort of their homes. Foreclosure and eviction during the holiday season is felt even more deeply by children. We implore every bank, savings and loan and credit union in Sonoma County to show compassion during the holiday season for individuals and families who are facing hard times by temporarily suspending all eviction proceedings and delaying the start of new foreclosures until January 2, 2012.

TAKE ACTION NOW!

1) Contact your elected officials at every level of government — especially President Barack Obama — and urge them to support the moratorium.

2) Contact your local bank branch and urge them to sign onto the moratorium.

STEP ONE: Build political support for the moratorium

Please call your elected officials at every level of government and urge them to ask President Barack Obama to impose a national Holiday Moratorium on Foreclosures and Evictions from Thanksgiving Day to New Year’s Day.

President Barack Obama
White House
Phone: (202) 456-1414 (Stay on the line and speak to an operator.)

Senator Barbara Boxer
112 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3553

Senator Dianne Feinstein
331 Hart Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3841

Representative Lynn Woolsey
2263 Rayburn Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-5161

STEP TWO: Pressure the banks to support the moratorium

Banking Institutions Supporting the Moratorium
Community First Credit Union
Sonoma County Grange Credit Union
Redwood Credit Union

Banking Institutions NOT Supporting the Moratorium
Bank of America
Wells Fargo Bank
Chase Bank
Bank of the West
US Bank
Westamerica Bank
Bank of Marin
Exchange Bank
Circle Bank
First Community Bank
Sonoma Bank
Summit State Bank
Great Western Bank
Bank of Petaluma
Union Bank
HSBC

For more information on Foreclosure Crisis, please contact Tim Nonn – timothynonn@gmail.com or 707-364-3795