Evening star., 1932-06-12
Helping Home Owners
Who Are Embarrassed
BY HARDEN COLFAX.

One of the most hopeful signs of the
day Is found by Department of Com
merce authorities in the rescue Of
thousands OF financially embarrassed
home owners in certain communities
through organized private effort.
It was disclosed today that the depart
mentS Building and Housing Division
is hearing fine things about the work
of local committees. composed of public
spirited and socially minded persons
familiar with real estate problems, to
whom haraSsed property owners may
60 for advice and assistance, and which
in corporation With unemployment
relief organizations and welfare COM
mittees are rendering valuable assist
ance to prevent needless foreclosures
on small homes.
The achievements of the Joint We'll
fare Committee of the Philadelphia
Real Estate Board are cited particularly
by Arthur J. Mertzke, economic
analyst of the division, in report now
being prepared Up to this week the
committee had investigated more than
35OO cases of individuals in financial
difficulties over paying for their homes.
and of these IS per cent had been
helped in one way or another.
The Division of Building and Hous-
ing learns says a statement author
ized Saturday. that committees or
other similar groups to that at Phila
delphia are already functioning in New
York New Jersey, Delaware and West
Virginia as well as cities in other parts
of Pennsylvania, noteworthy among
in New Jersey and Wilmington in Della
ware 1t hopes that this Philadelphia
set-up will commend itself to other
communities in still other parts of the
country and, for this reason, is COM
mending the idea. It Is proposed to
bring out report embodying the plan
in the course of the next few weeks.
The survey was made in Philadelphia
by Mr. Mertzke, at the request of the
Presidents Conference on Home Build
ing and Home Owning. because in Phil
adelphia. SO largely the home Of build
ing and loan associations. the plan had
already been under way when the
Presidents conference met last
December"
Composed of nine members, realtors
and building and loan men, appointed
jointly by the Real Estate Board OF
the City of Philadelphia, and the
State League of Building and Loan
Associations, the Philadelphia commit
tee gives its services without remunera-
tion. The cases which come before it
are reported to include financing prob
lens of almost every description. Among
these seeking help are included not
only home owners threatened with
foreclosure, but heads of families who
are seeking ways of ref1nancing proper
ties SO as to tighten their present bur-
dens, individuals who have been SUBJ
iected to exorbitant financing charges
and families out Of employment and
actually In want Of food, unable to pay
interest or taxes.
Carried on in as informal and per-
sonal manner as possible, the work OF
the committee consists in finding out
all the details of the situation and, In
the majority of cases, working out
helpful solution. Often it even inter-
cedes with the holders of the mortgages
and urges them to extend the time In
which q solution may be worked out.
In many cases q written arrangement
Is made which leaves the existing
mortgage undisturbed and provides for
the payment by mortgages Of taxes
which may be in arrears and reducing
the monthly payments.
X
In the majority of cases the commit
tee finds the situation not hopeless. It
encourages the distressed owners to do
everything within their power to hold
on, at the same time interceding with
the mortgages involved, asking them
to cooperate with the committee by
allowing q reasonable amount of time
to work out = solution which will en-