< Back To Index 09.06.2007 - HPP

A wave of home foreclosures is sweeping the nation, and in Minnesota the problem has reached crisis proportions.  In the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, the number of foreclosures has tripled since 2000, with most of the increase occurring in the last couple of years.  Not surprisingly, many of these foreclosures are concentrated in high poverty and minority areas.  Of the 1,610 foreclosure sales in the City of Minneapolis during 2006, more than 50% occurred in zip codes 55411 and 55412 on the north side.  Other local and national data strongly suggest that minorities are disproportionately victims of foreclosures.  

The Foreclosure Relief Law Project (FRLP) is a new endeavor for HPP.  Through this project, HPP seeks to develop legal and policy strategies to respond to this recent and ongoing foreclosure epidemic.

FRLP hopes to develop strategies that can be replicated by legal services and pro bono attorneys in order to build our legal community's capacity to represent homeowners in foreclosure.  Where appropriate and viable, FRLP intends to utilize impact litigation to achieve the most widespread results possible.  FRLP is also participating in state and federal legislative efforts aimed at responding to the current crisis and reforming foreclosure laws to better protect the interests of homeowners and their communities in the future.

The FRLP intends to use its legal tools to complement the work being done by various public and philanthropic entities seeking to ameliorate the effects of mass foreclosures on communities in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, particularly on the hard hit areas in north Minneapolis.

The FRLP is generously funded by the Family Housing Fund.  The Family Housing Fund is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to produce and preserve affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.