Celebs help spread foreclosure information

As Georgia’s foreclosure rate remains among the highest in the country, mortgage counselors say the toughest challenge isn’t the onslaught of new clients — it’s reaching out to those at risk of losing their homes.

They tried to spread the word on Saturday when the Bringing Hope Home tour rolled into Atlanta in a blue and yellow bus plastered with 888-995-HOPE, the hotline for the foreclosure prevention group Hope Now Alliance, based in Washington, D.C.

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JAMIE GUMBRECHT / jgumbrecht@ajc.com

Grammy winners Mary J. Blige and Big Boi sat beside Reynoldstown neighborhood resident Paris Rhoden, 44, who used the services from Resources for Resources and Communities to find a place to live.

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It helped, too, to have Grammy winners Big Boi and Mary J. Blige on board.

“Anything they need from me, I’m here,” said Big Boi, an Atlantan and half of the duo OutKast. “I’d see all these boarded up houses and think ‘What’s going on?’”

The tour of hard-hit cities, including Newark, Miami and Cleveland, made Atlanta its second stop. During stops in Reynoldstown, Kirkwood and downtown, celebs and counselors warned about for-profit counseling scams and urged people to call free resource centers. The number of calls from Georgians to the Hope hotline more than doubled in 2008.

“It’s free help, it’s confidential,” said Suzanne Boas, president of the Atlanta non-profit Consumer Credit Counseling Service, a service that handles hotline calls and local counseling. “You really don’t need to feel embarrassed — you do need to reach out.”

Hope Now travels next to Miami for a similar workshop. In Atlanta, small crowds gathered around the bus to catch a glimpse of Blige or Big Boi, whose real name is Antwan Patton, but attention focused, too, on homeowners who used counseling services.

Tara Harp, 28, fell two months behind on payments for her Lithonia home after a car accident with an uninsured motorist; Consumer Credit Counseling Service helped her modify her loan and create a budget. She’s saving more now, she said, by carpooling and adding a roommate, like her counselor suggested.

Paris Rhoden, 44, had lived for years in a home he bought through Reynoldstown-based Resources for Residents and Communities, but went into foreclosure after he lost his jobs. With the help of RRC, he was able to sell the home, move into a nearby apartment. With his credit intact, he’s now is planning to buy another home through the resource center.

“A lot of people just keep their heads in the sand. When they get to us, it’s too late,” said Young Hughley, RRC’s president and chief executive. “We may not be able to solve the problem, but we can at least help you through it.”