Foreclosure Crisis Has South Florida Legal Services Firm Operating At Full Capacity; May Begin Turning Away Clients In Foreclosure

In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, WFOR-TV Channel 4 reports:

• Legal Aid [Service] of Broward County has spent years as a lifeline for thousands of people needing legal help and dealing with foreclosures. But, the very thing Legal Aid has been fighting may become the latest victim of the continuing foreclosure disaster.

• "Given the volume of foreclosures and the number of people seeking help, it's just becoming ever more impossible to provide legal services to the people that need it," said attorney George Castrataro,(1) who works with Legal Aid. "We haven't seen an increase in funding since this foreclosure event started, yet the number of folks requiring assistance quadrupled, if not even more."(2) The problem Legal Aid faces comes at a bad time for homeowners in Broward County. The latest number showed 27,000 foreclosure actions have been filed in the first six months of 2008.

For the story, see Foreclosure Hurt Legal Aid Agencies (Legal Aid of Broward County is having to get selective of the cases they can help) (read story) (watch video).

For Florida homeowners who fear they may soon be unable to make their mortgage payments or have already missed payments and need help getting an attorney free of charge, try Florida Attorneys Saving Homes toll-free hotline, (866) 607-2187.

(1) According to the story, Castrataro says Legal Aid receives around 250 calls a week from poor and indigent people who need help fighting foreclosure. But, with the manpower and funding problems the agency faces, the agency will have to be more selective.

(2) The situation is just as tough for legal services firms in Northern & Central Florida. See:

• Florida Legal Services Firm Inundated With Foreclosure / Bankruptcy Clients; Campaign On To Raise Operating Funds,
• Central Florida Legal Services Firm Opens Walk-In Clinics To Address Rising Needs Of Homeowners In Foreclosure As Calls For Help Double.