There's a new trend when it comes to foreclosures. More people are asking for help, and in return, their homes are staying off the auction block.
The impact is obvious in Butler County
Neighborhood Housing Services of Hamilton homeownership counselor, Don Gardner, says the office has seen more than 400 people on the verge of losing their home this year.
That's almost double the number of people who applied for help last year.
Gardner says the influx is because more people are out of work, more people know about the assistance and there are more loan programs available.
Neighborhood Housing also has noticed mortgage lenders are more willing to work with homeowners than in years past.
"It's a rush for me to see people who walk out of here after they've gotten a rescue loan and know they have the problem behind them and can start over again," says Gardner.
Gardner put the finishing touches on a loan Friday for Lisa Roberson of Middletown.
"The feeling you initially have when you move in – is what it feels like now," says Roberson.
Medical issues and job losses over the last couple of years put Roberson close to foreclosure.
Now she's back to work and is thankful for a rescue loan through neighborhood housing.
"I didn't have anywhere else to go," she says. "I didn't know where else to go. I'd been at this place for 10 years."
At Neighborhood Housing Services in Hamilton about 75% of the people who come for foreclosure help, qualify to get it.
