Workshop tackles foreclosure

Men and women ranging in age from their 20s to their 70s came to Olive Crest, a local nonprofit dedicated to family preservation, to learn how to cope with the anxiety, depression and marital problems linked to the threat of losing their homes.

"We’ve all been touched in some way by foreclosure in Nevada," said Ken Lange, Olive Crest’s executive director. "We’ve seen friends move away, our home values drop. We’ve seen renters living in homes they didn’t know were foreclosing. What happens to families as they go through a crisis like that?"

Saturday’s free four-hour workshop was the first in a series Olive Crest plans to offer that focus on keeping families together and as emotionally stable as possible during one of the most stressful experiences in life.

"The impact (of foreclosure) is very similar to divorce or the death of a loved one," said Dawn Moore, a marriage and family therapist who spoke at the workshop. "A lot of people just couldn’t anticipate what was going to happen."

The workshop drew single people, married couples, parents and grandparents. They included a teacher, a business owner, an insurance claims adjuster, a retiree and a nurse. Olive Crest asked that workshop participants be identified by only their first names.

Two of the thousands of homes that are in foreclosure or pre-foreclosure in Southern Nevada belong to Trish, a 71-year-old retiree who thought her retirement savings and investments would last until the end of her life.

She bought a second home in 2005 and rented out her first. But the renter fell behind on his payments and so did Trish. Meanwhile, the payments on her second house recently increased because of the type of mortgage she signed.

The second home now is in pre-foreclosure, she said. "I haven’t been able to make the mortgage since June. I don’t know what I’m going to do."

Trish also said she has been inundated with offers from individuals and companies offering to help her out of her mortgage mess for a fee.

"I don’t entirely trust them," she said.

Janie Lopez, a foreclosure counselor for Neighborhood Services of Southern Nevada, told Trish there are a lot of foreclosure scams out there.

"Do not pay anybody," Lopez said. "People take advantage. There are nonprofits out there who will help for free."

Liliana, a 32-year-old single mother of two who works at an insurance company, said her home has not yet been targeted for foreclosure. She came to the workshop anyway because her bills are stacking up and she is worried. In addition to caring for her children, ages 6 and 13, Liliana also takes care of her parents.

"My father recently had a stroke," she said. "It’s very important to keep a roof over all of their heads. I don’t want to get to that point" of foreclosure.

Moore said it’s often difficult for those going through foreclosure to think about much else. But it’s especially important for families with children to think about their emotional needs and stability.

"Involve children in the process as soon as possible," Moore said. "Communicate with them. Tell them: ‘Mommy and Daddy are worried, but Mommy and Daddy are taking care of this.’ Reinforce that it’s not their burden or responsibility."

It’s also important to maintain daily routines, be patient and help children make new friends and adjust to new communities if the family is forced to move, Moore said.

Foreclosure can put a strain on marriages and other relationships.

One woman at the workshop said she and her husband are considering divorcing after more than 40 years of marriage because of constant fighting over finances.

Gerry, 68, said he and his fiancee are madly in love but have been having problems lately because she is going through a foreclosure and the couple soon must find a new place to live.

"It is affecting us both and the relationship from the emotional standpoint," he said. "We have to talk through it."

Richard Harrison, another marriage and family therapist at the workshop, said foreclosure is a major loss and people must allow themselves to go through all the stages of grief.

Also remember that "now is not forever," Harrison said. "It’s not going to be this way in five years."

Olive Crest’s next foreclosure workshops are scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 6 and Jan. 10.

For more information or to reserve a spot, call the agency at 221-6224, ext. 1700.

For more information about Neighborhood Housing Services of Southern Nevada’s free foreclosure counseling, call 649-0998 or visit www.nwsn.org.

Contact reporter Lynnette Curtis at lcurtis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285.