Kane County looks to slow foreclosures

A Kane County Board committee Wednesday recommended spending $55,000 to promote foreclosure prevention and homeowner services.

"It's great to have programs to help people, but if people don't know they exist, you're not helping," Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay said.

With money from the county's riverboat grant fund, the county would create pamphlets with local resources for homeowners facing foreclosure, would hold clinics throughout the county and would make presentations to municipalities.

Every week for the next year, the county would send the information to homeowners who have a notice of foreclosure filed against them in the county recorder of deeds' office.

There is a gap in the time between the filing of a foreclosure notice and when a house is taken, officials said.

"There's a window of opportunity," McConnaughay said. "If we can get folks into some kind of foreclosure counseling, maybe we can help people not to lose their homes."

Although Kane County has a low foreclosure rate compared to other suburban counties', Kane had the highest increase in the Chicago metropolitan area from 2006 to 2007, said Scott Berger of the county's development department. Foreclosures increased by 42 percent to about 2,300, in 2007.

In just the past week, 70 foreclosure notices were filed with the county, he said.

The county board had already approved about $945,000 of the $1 million available for local grants this year.

The Kane County Board executive committee approved the plan on Wednesday. It goes to the full county board next Tuesday for final approval.

Where to go for help

These services are available to some Kane County residents facing homeowner or foreclosure issues:

Community Contacts

Emergency home repair program, loans to fix code violations

Call: (847) 697-8800

Web: www.cci-hci.org

Neighborhood Housing Services of the Fox Valley

Foreclosure counseling, first-time home buyer program

Call: (847) 695-0399

Web: www.nhsofelgin.org

Habitat for Humanity

Affordable housing

Call: (847) 836-1432 or (630) 859-3333

Web: www.hfhnfv.org or www.foxvalleyhabitat.org

Joseph Corp.

Foreclosure counseling

Call: (630) 906-9400

Web: josephcorporation.org