What to do if foreclosure hits you

CLEVELAND -- No place in America hears this question asked more than Cleveland: "Where am I going to go if I lose my home?"

It is a question homeowner Joyce Cheney asked recently as she lost money, lost sleep and faced losing her family home of 40-years to foreclosure.

"They're embarrassed," says James Jones of the East Side Organizing Project (ESOP). "They're down-hearted because they stand a chance of losing the most valuable possession of their lifetime." ESOP is a place where people turn to for help navigating the unfamiliar and unfriendly waters of foreclosure.

Their first tip for those testing these waters: "Contact your mortgage company." Meaning: Don't bury your head in the sand.

Two: Come up with a recovery plan-- use places like ESOP if necessary.

Three: Prepare your worst case scenario, which could mean finding a new place to live. But if you're battling the bank, there is good news.

"They're easing up a bit because so many houses are foreclosed," Jones says. Lenders are bending more rules and lowering more rates, because so many people in Cleveland and elsewhere are drowning.