Boston to offer free legal help to stem foreclosures

By John C. Drake, Globe Staff

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino said today the city will offer free legal help to homeowners facing foreclosure.

The city's Department of Neighborhood Development will refer homeowners threatened with foreclosure and tenants facing eviction to attorneys with the Boston Real Estate Bar Association. The attorneys, who have agreed to work pro bono to help city residents whose incomes are 80 percent of the median income or lower, will help them sue lenders, refinance their loans, file bankruptcy, or take other legal action.

The offer of free legal help comes after Menino convened a team of city departments to assess the impact of foreclosed properties on Boston neighborhoods. The Foreclosure Intervention Team is buying up some abandoned properties and working to clean up neighborhoods blighted by foreclosures.

Menino also announced an agreement with the Dorchester office of nonprofit mortgage broker ACORN Housing Corp. to provide counseling services to area homeowners facing foreclosure.

Menino's remarks came at a Beacon Hill reception honoring author Nicolas P. Retsinas, whose book "Our Communities, Our Homes," praises Boston's housing efforts.

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