• Foreclosure relief programs help homeowners avoid foreclosure by refinancing their homes and/or lowering their payments.home sweeet home image by .shock from Fotolia.com
  
  For homeowners facing foreclosure proceedings or the threat of foreclosure, it can seem as if there is no help to be found. But there are programs available that help homeowners work with their mortgage companies to refinance their home or at least attempt to make mortgage payments less expensive. The goals of these programs are to keep homeowners in their own homes and decrease the number of foreclosed homes on the market.
  
  

Disaster Relief Options for FHA Homeowners

• The program is open to homeowners having trouble making their mortgage payments due to having gone through a disaster. This program helps homeowners work with their FHA mortgage lender to either stop or delay the foreclosure process. To be eligible, homeowners must fall into one of three categories. They must have lived in an area declared a disaster area by the president, or they must have a household member who is missing, injured or dead due to the disaster. Or, the homeowner was not able to pay the mortgage because income was affected by the disaster.
  
  U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
  
  451 7th St. S.W.
  
  Washington, DC 20410
  
  202-708-1112
  
  hud.gov
  
  

Foreclosure Relief Program

• The program is sponsored by Global Hope Community Services, and it seeks to help consumers avoid foreclosure by reducing mortgage payments, reducing interest rates and helping homeowners obtain fixed-rate mortgages. Other services include short sales, loan modification and refinancing. This is a nonprofit corporation that works across the country with individuals and communities in need due to hardship or other issues.
  
  Foreclosure Relief Program/Global Hope Community Services, Inc.
  
  6000 Live Oak Parkway, Suite 113
  
  Norcross, GA 30093
  
  678-383-4546
  
  foreclosurereliefprogram.org
  
  

Making Home Affordable

• This is a governmental program that offers free help to homeowners who either began the foreclosure process or are in danger of losing their home. The goal is to help homeowners refinance their homes, lower mortgage payments and lower interest rates, so that they can keep their homes. Homeowners receive free assistance from a housing counselor. Other services include home refinancing, loan modification, second lien modification and foreclosure alternatives. Eligibility varies by individual program, but generally the home must be the person's primary residence, and he must be having trouble paying the mortgage. Further, the mortgage payment must be more than 31 percent of the household's gross income.
  
  Department of the Treasury
  
  1500 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
  
  Washington, D.C. 20220
  
  888-995-4673
  
  makinghomeaffordable.gov