Mortgage help for struggling Illinois homeowners

If you or someone you know is at risk of ­foreclosure, or struggling with mortgage payments, the Illinois Foreclosure Prevention can help. Foreclosures affect more than just the family that loses its home. When our neighbors are displaced, the entire community is impacted.

The goal of Governor Pat Quinn’s Illinois Foreclosure Prevention Network (IFPN) is to offer one place where Illinois residents can access the resources they need to help prevent foreclosure.

Overseen by the Illinois Housing Development Authority, IFPN coordinates the efforts of the many ­agencies working to connect struggling homeowners with resources, and to put those resources under one umbrella.

Homeowners can receive counseling services, legal advice, mortgage payment assistance programs, foreclosure prevention events and tips on how to avoid mortgage fraud. Most importantly, it offers homeowners a safe and trusted source for assistance so they do not fall prey to mortgage rescue scams.

One flagship program under the IFPN is the Illinois Hardest Hit program and more than 5,000 homeowners have been given more than $57 million in mortgage payment assistance. The program provides qualified homeowners who are unemployed or underemployed with up to $25,000 in mortgage payment assistance, allowing homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgage to catch up, and provides monthly payments as they continue their job search.

Visit the IFPN website at www.keepyourhomeillinois.org or call the IFPN hotline at 1-855-KEEP-411. Information about IHDA and its other programs can be found at www.ihda.org.