Cuyahoga County non-profits and NACA clash over mortgage help

CLEVELAND - Darren Duarte and other NACA employees set up at public hall in downtown Cleveland on Wednesday. Soon hundreds of people will fill the venue for the "American Dream" event.

"So the program is to help people who can document that their mortgage is unaffordable," said Duarte.

Duarte said NACA has contracts with all the major lenders so homeowners can meet with someone that day.

"If we can show that (their loan is unaffordable) there is a good chance we can lower their rate by sometimes 2 percent for the life of the loan," said Duarte.

This year, they are also offering home buyers a chance at on-the-spot mortgage approvals.

In 2009, at their first "save the dream" event, 20,000 people showed up to get help. Duarte admitted they were overwhelmed.

"We've learned a lot since then. We have more contracts with more lenders. We've streamlined the process people don't wait as long. We have worked through all those things," he said.

The group isn't being welcomed with open arms by some in Cuyahoga County. The county and several non-profit housing agencies in northeast Ohio were set up to have a news conference in front of public hall Wednesday.

They wanted to warn people about what they call the "road show" put on my NACA.

Dozens of NACA volunteers showed up at the news conference. The NACA employees tried to get into the county administration building, but were told to go outside.

Still, volunteers sang NACA's praises.

"If it wasn't for NACA, I'd be homeless," said one woman holding a NACA sign.

Inside Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald's office were words of warning from Fitzgerald and several executive director's of non-profit organizations.

"They've been here before and what they leave is a trial of unfulfilled promises. This particular organization has had a number of consumer complaints, dozens and dozens and dozens and over a dozen on the Better Business Bureau," FitzGerald said.

"The circus has come to town. We have a guy coming to town for the second time in three years promising people help in one day when the counseling groups in this county that have years of experience are known nationally, we do well if we close in two to three months," said ESOP's director Mark Seifert.

"You can't solve a foreclosure situation in a half hour meeting or an hour meeting," said Andris Nikiforovs of Community Housing Solutions.

"At the end of the day, again, they'll be gone, and we'll have to pick up the pieces," said Lou Tisler of Neighborhood Counseling Services of Greater Cleveland.

The NACA "American Dream" event will take place Thursday through Monday from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. in downtown Cleveland.

Volunteers from other non-profits plan to pass out flyers in front of the event encouraging people to call 211 and get mortgage help in Cuyahoga County.