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FLORIDA: A group of students in the southern state of Florida is taking its studies to the streets.
Law students from Florida A&M University are going door-to-door in low-income neighborhoods to educate residents about property foreclosures and loan refinancing scams.
The programme is backed by a national nonprofit organisation created by Congress to help revitalise communities.
The students walked the streets of Pine Hills, a suburb of Orlando, looking out for homeowners facing foreclosure.
And they didn't have to go far to find victims of the collapse of the US housing market.
A couple, who paid a company to help them get a mortgage loan modification but did not have it modified, is now struggling to stay in their home.
Louvon and Thomas Roberson said the money they paid to the company was not returned.
"They gave us a one-hundred percent money back guarantee. We liked that because if they couldn't get the modification they were going to give us our money back. (It seemed as if) we (weren't) losing anything," scam victim Louvon Roberson said.
The Robersons now attend a clinic at Florida A&M's law school.
Law students are helping them take action in small claims court to recover their money.
"The economy is in such dire straits right now with all these foreclosures and things like that. So people are looking for some sort of answer," law student Christy Collins said.
According to the Pew Hispanic Center, neighbourhoods with large immigrant and minority populations, such as Pine Hills, have been hit hard with foreclosures.
Some residents, such as Silvestre Plasencia an immigrant from Cuba, do not speak English.
Mr Plasencia didn't understand the terms of his variable rate mortgage when he signed the papers during the housing boom.
Like many in his neighborhood, he lost his job in the recession and is now facing foreclosure.
"My plan? I don't know. I don't know what I'm going to do. What can I do?" Mr Plasencia said in Spanish.
More than two million American homes are currently in foreclosure.
In Florida, one in more than 150 homes received a foreclosure notice in July - the highest number nationwide after California.
Florida A&M law professor, Eunice Caussade-Garcia, said the crisis has spawned many companies offering assistance on refinancing.
"But they're not legitimate and basically what they end up doing is stealing people's money and unfortunately, a lot of times, they do lose their homes regardless of seeking the help," Ms Caussade-Garcia said.
According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, the foreclosure rate is continuing to climb.
So these students, while gaining real-world legal experience, hope their efforts will be the last-line of defense for families that risk losing their homes.
-CNA/wk
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