Published: March 25, 2011
Philadelphia Inquirer

Delay sheriff's sales further, rally urges HUD

By Miriam Hill

Chanting "One, two, three, four, don't put us out the door," about 40 people called on Philadelphia's top judge to further delay sales of foreclosed homes.

The group, organized by the Philadelphia Unemployment Project, marched Thursday from City Hall across the street to the offices of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in the Wanamaker building to plead the case.

There, Sheila Lloyd cried as she told HUD official Richard Ott about her constant fear of losing her South Philadelphia home to foreclosure.

"You don't know how we feel," Lloyd said. "You don't know how we go to bed at night and our minds are racing."

Lloyd and the others worry that they will be without a home once the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office resumes foreclosure sales April 5. About 2,000 homes are scheduled for sale then.

Foreclosure sales had been delayed since just before Christmas when Judge Pamela Prior Dembe ordered a moratorium on them until a federal program to prevent foreclosures took effect.

But that money - $1 billion allocated to HUD to provide forgivable bridge loans of up to $50,000 to distressed borrowers - has been slow in coming. About $106 million of that is to go to Pennsylvania.

Lloyd and the other protesters want Dembe to extend the moratorium until the money becomes available.

Dembe did not return calls seeking comment.

The Philadelphia Unemployment Project group also urged HUD officials to release the funds.

Ott told the group that the department was working on it.

"I don't think there is anybody more supportive of this program than the Obama administration," Ott said.

In a statement, HUD acknowledged that the timetable for implementing the Emergency Homeowners Loan Program was slower than expected. The statement cited "implementation challenges for this new and unique program."

Acting Sheriff Barbara Deeley said she would do whatever the court ordered.

"I sympathize with the people, and I do understand that they're looking at the stimulus money from the president through HUD, but we can't keep postponing and postponing," she said. "I am following court orders to enforce sheriff's sales."

On Thursday, Philadelphia City Council approved a resolution, sponsored by Council members Curtis Jones Jr. and Jannie Blackwell, calling for a further moratorium.