NFHTA Forum | Post-COVID Mortgage Forbearance Options and Preventing Discriminatory Foreclosures

Description

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate negative effect on homeowners of color. As we face the possibility of the federal moratorium protecting homeowners from foreclosure ending, the resulting loss of home ownership will have devastating financial implications for these families for generations. In addition, many homeowners of color did not have loans that fell under the foreclosure moratorium and have not had access to the same loss mitigation options.

The National Fair Housing Training Academy (NFHTA) and the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) hosted a public forum focusing on the impact of the foreclosure moratorium during the COVID-19 pandemic. This forum contained information about housing assistance programs and loss mitigation strategies that may help prevent foreclosures; specified how a foreclosure may violate fair housing laws; and provided resources and tools that fair housing practitioners, attorneys, and housing counselors can utilize to prevent discriminatory foreclosures. Over 350 fair housing partners joined us in this critical conversation.

Overview

1. Welcome from moderator, Cashuana Hill, Executive Director at the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center.
2. Introduction of panelists:
• Nikitra Bailey, Senior Vice President of Public Policy, the National Fair Housing Alliance
• David Sanchez, Director of Research and Development, National Community Stabilization Trust
• Rachel Geballe, Supervising Attorney, South Brooklyn Legal Services
• David Berenbaum, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Housing Counseling, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
3. Presentation and discussion by panelists on:
• What is a foreclosure?
• How the current foreclosure crisis affects people and communities of color; and the long-term economic consequences of the potential foreclosure crisis on people and communities of color.
• Policy tools to prevent and combat discriminatory foreclosures.
• The current status of foreclosure moratoria.
• Forbearance options and foreclosure prevention assistance for homeowners in need.
• How discriminatory foreclosures are covered under the Fair Housing Act.
• Prima Facie Case standards for establishing a foreclosure as discriminatory.
• Case examples of and tools for combatting discriminatory foreclosures.
• Partnerships to combat foreclosures.
• Systemic efforts to combat discriminatory foreclosures.
• How to find local housing agencies, state and local governmental fair housing agencies, and how to find a local private fair housing agency.
4. Question and answer session moderated by Ms. Hill.

A video of the forum has been posted on this page, along with a transcript of the conversation and a robust resources list for your continued reference.

Learning Objectives

Forum participants now:

• Know more about the fair housing foreclosure effects of the pandemic on people of color and others in protected classes.
• Know the current status of the federal foreclosure moratorium.
• Know more about current foreclosure and loss mitigation assistance programs.
• Understand the legal standards for combating foreclosure as a fair housing violation.
• Have tools to stop foreclosures that violate fair housing laws.
• Know more about potential partnerships between FHIP and FHAP agencies and local legal aid and housing counseling organizations.

Audience

This forum is targeted to Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) organizations, Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP) agencies, Housing Counseling Agencies, legal services providers, and other interested fair housing partners.

Materials

About the Forums

Disclaimer: The National Fair Housing Forum webinar series provides training by and to HUD partners, including entities and persons participating in HUD's FHAP Program and FHIP Program. The series offers multidirectional idea sharing in real-time. The views offered by speakers and participants do not necessarily reflect HUD's views. Similarly, unless otherwise noted, documents provided as part of the webinar were created and maintained by other public and private organizations and may not reflect HUD's official position. HUD-produced guidance documents, except when based on statutory or regulatory authority or law, do not have the force and effect of law and are not meant to bind the public in any way. Such guidance documents are intended only to provide clarity to the public regarding existing requirements under the law or HUD policies. The information is not intended to provide legal advice to any individual or entity. Please refer to relevant laws and regulations and/or your own legal advisor before taking any action based on information appearing on this site or any site to which it may be linked. Some materials have been translated into languages other than English; slight variations may have resulted from the translation.