In fiscal year 2008, ACORN Housing received more than $11 million in federal funding and direct public support. That money was supposed to be used to help people find low-income housing and assist homeowners in foreclosure with mortgage counseling people like Andy Russell.
Russell fell behind on his house payments when the interest rate adjustable rate mortgage jumped from eight percent to 16 percent. He says he tried to send his lender, Chase, partial payments, but says Chase wanted all of the payment or nothing at all. He then tried to refinance. When that didn't work he contacted ACORN Housing.
"They take all your information and then what they do is they can negotiate between the lender and do all that stuff," says Russell.
E-mails to ACORN Housing indicate Russell filled out the appropriate paperwork multiple times. One e-mail from ACORN reads, "We'll keep you informed of the outcome."
According to Russell, the only thing he received from ACORN was another e-mail asking him to fill out the paperwork again. He estimates he has filled out the same paperwork nine times.
Two years after first contacting ACORN, his home remains in foreclosure. It is in need of repair. Since 2007, the chimney has collapsed, the basement has flooded and the kitchen cabinets have broken.
"We just don't know what to do anymore," says Russell. "We don't want to put a whole bunch of money into it and turn around and have to move out and not get anything back from it."
We tried to contact ACORN and its affiliate, ACORN Housing, but their phone lines are disconnected. When we visited the Des Moines office, we found an empty space and locked doors. ACORN's media representative failed to return our e-mails and the media representative for its affiliate, ACORN Housing, backed out of a phone interview to which she previously agreed.
It's not unlike the response Russell says he's received.
"I would not recommend them to anybody," says Russell.
He is now negotiating directly with Chase, his lender, because Chase doesn't want to work with ACORN either. Soon after Congress cut funding to ACORN and its affiliates, Chase, Citibank and Bank of America followed suit.
When asked where he goes now, Russell replies, "Boy, I don't know that's the million dollar question, right there."
The Russells keep digging for answers. Despite the collapsing chimney, flooded basement and the distressed kitchen cabinets, the Russells want to remain in their home. To them it's a treasure, buried in the final season of foreclosure.
"Every night you're like, well is tomorrow the day the sheriff comes and says, 'They got a sale date. You gotta move out.'"
Russell fell behind on his house payments when the interest rate adjustable rate mortgage jumped from eight percent to 16 percent. He says he tried to send his lender, Chase, partial payments, but says Chase wanted all of the payment or nothing at all. He then tried to refinance. When that didn't work he contacted ACORN Housing.
"They take all your information and then what they do is they can negotiate between the lender and do all that stuff," says Russell.
E-mails to ACORN Housing indicate Russell filled out the appropriate paperwork multiple times. One e-mail from ACORN reads, "We'll keep you informed of the outcome."
According to Russell, the only thing he received from ACORN was another e-mail asking him to fill out the paperwork again. He estimates he has filled out the same paperwork nine times.
Two years after first contacting ACORN, his home remains in foreclosure. It is in need of repair. Since 2007, the chimney has collapsed, the basement has flooded and the kitchen cabinets have broken.
"We just don't know what to do anymore," says Russell. "We don't want to put a whole bunch of money into it and turn around and have to move out and not get anything back from it."
We tried to contact ACORN and its affiliate, ACORN Housing, but their phone lines are disconnected. When we visited the Des Moines office, we found an empty space and locked doors. ACORN's media representative failed to return our e-mails and the media representative for its affiliate, ACORN Housing, backed out of a phone interview to which she previously agreed.
It's not unlike the response Russell says he's received.
"I would not recommend them to anybody," says Russell.
He is now negotiating directly with Chase, his lender, because Chase doesn't want to work with ACORN either. Soon after Congress cut funding to ACORN and its affiliates, Chase, Citibank and Bank of America followed suit.
When asked where he goes now, Russell replies, "Boy, I don't know that's the million dollar question, right there."
The Russells keep digging for answers. Despite the collapsing chimney, flooded basement and the distressed kitchen cabinets, the Russells want to remain in their home. To them it's a treasure, buried in the final season of foreclosure.
"Every night you're like, well is tomorrow the day the sheriff comes and says, 'They got a sale date. You gotta move out.'"
