2007
A local response to the housing crisis
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn announce the creation of the Center to help tackle the local response to the subprime mortgage crisis. Bloomberg says homeowners at risk of foreclosure cannot wait for a national response.
2008
The Center formally launches
The Center, with a network of 27 community-based organizations, becomes the largest independent non-profit organization in the country devoted to helping homeowners at risk of foreclosure.
2010
Fighting home by home
Homeowners were faced with the challenge of a broken mortgage servicing industry by 2010: Of 3,300 mortgage modification requests that year, only 500 received permanent modifications. In response, the Center created a new program to tackle the most difficult cases through direct negotiations with lenders.
2011
Rise Up, Stay Put
The Center brought together hundreds of homeowners, housing counselors, legal service providers, loan officers from major banks and elected officials to solve mortgage challenges at citywide “Rise Up, Stay Put” events.
2012
Hurricane Sandy damages, destroys hundreds of coastal homes
The Center takes a leadership role in helping homeowners to recover from the hurricane by coordinating counseling and raising $1.3 million to help the unmet needs of households traumatized by the storm. The Center also played a pivotal role in helping to direct federal funds toward storm recovery and reconstruction.
AG Schneiderman launches statewide foreclosure prevention services
With funds from the national mortgage settlement, New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announces the creation of the Homeowner Protection Program to assist households facing foreclosure. The Center is named as an anchor partner to provide day-to-day support and technical assistance to groups named as HOPP members.
2014
A statewide financial lifeline
Having successfully launched a citywide program offering loans to homeowners at risk of foreclosure but who were unqualified for any other remedy, the New York Attorney General’s Office agrees to take it statewide as the Center’s New York State Mortgage Assistance Program.
2015
Protecting homeowners from foreclosure scams
The Center partners with the New York Attorney General’s Office to raise awareness of the scourge of foreclosure rescue scams that are rampant in quickly gentrifying neighborhoods.
2016
Coastal community resiliency
With funding from the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery, the Center embarks on an effort to deliver assessments of flood vulnerability to select waterfront homes through the innovative FloodHelpNY.org web platform.
2017
At the intersection of consumer protection and community development
As neighborhoods have stabilized from the subprime mortgage crisis, the Center has pivoted toward building the foundation to become a one-stop shop for protecting and promoting affordable homeownership.