Homeowners come to Stephanie Lawes’ office at Margert Community Corporation, Far Rockaway, crying for fear of losing their homes to foreclosure.

“Teachers, doctors, MTA workers come looking for assistance,” said Lawes, who works for the social service agency formed more than 25 years ago by St. Gertrude and St. Mary Star of the Sea parishes, Far Rockaway.

Lawes was one of the panelists at a Mortgage Crisis Forum at St. John’s University on Feb. 29, which was co-sponsored by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, Assemblyman Vito Lopez, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens, St. John’s University School of Law and the Vincentian Center for Church and Society.

Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Sullivan opened the forum, The Mortgage Crisis: Impact on Individuals, Families and Communities. Among the other panelists were Sarah Ludwig and Deyanira Del Rio of Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project (NEDAP); Oda Friedheim, staff attorney, New York Legal Aid Society, Queens; Corey Franzini, mortgage consultant, Great Neck, N.Y.; Stephen Levin, chief of staff for Assemblyman Vito Lopez; Bertha Lewis, executive director, Brooklyn ACORN; and Bernelle Grier COO, Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) of NYC.

Panelists addressed the effect of the mortgage crisis on communities in the diocese and outlined resources available to help homeowners. The participants then broke into groups to discuss short- and long-term coping strategies.

Friedheim said, “parishes can be an important starting point for reaching out.” She warned of “scammers” who are already taking advantage of distressed homeowners.

Lawes and Bertha Lewis said it would be a shame for the hard-won progress of renovation in once blighted neighborhoods to go backward.

“We are in a big mess — getting worse day by day,” Levin said. He outlined pending legislation in the State Assembly including bills A8972, the New York State Responsible Lending Act and A9695, to provide foreclosure relief.

Parish Workshops

The diocese is holding a series of 10 workshops in parishes most affected by the mortgage crisis.

Deyanira Del Rio, associate director of NEDAP, described the workshop at St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Albans, held Feb. 24. She said when families are facing foreclosure they may cut back on the lights and food and suffer stress. They should know that Catholic Charities can help them find funds to meet these needs.

Before the workshop, Father Bill Sweeney, pastor, had gotten inquiries from parishioners who were in trouble with their mortgages. Now, he says, their Zip code area, 11412, has the highest rate of home foreclosures in the city.

Father Sweeney said he received a number of phone inquiries the evening before the workshop. As a result, there were about 40 parishioners, as well as non-Catholics, at the workshop. Representatives from housing advocacy groups such as ACORN and National Housing Services let people know that there are services out there to help them.

Panelists warned people about being too trusting with mortgage brokers, Father Sweeney said. In some cases, people with annual incomes of $20,000 were told they qualified for mortgages on homes valued at $500,000.

The workshop provided Father Sweeney with contact numbers at Catholic Charities and other agencies.

Father Vincent Miceli can tell that money is tight with parishioners at St. Fortunata, East New York, where a workshop was also presented on Feb. 24. Collections go down near the first or 15th of the month when mortgages or rents are due, he said. Vital statistics from the Census Bureau show that the median income for the neighborhood, which was $32,500 a few years ago, has dropped to $28,000. “People live day to day,” Father Miceli said.

About 25-30 people showed up for the parish mortgage crisis workshop at St. Fortunata. Not only were they told how to deal with the threat of foreclosure, but they were also advised how to avoid being taken in by unscrupulous mortgage brokers in the first place.

Father Miceli said that the neighborhood used to be called New Lots because of the large number of empty lots. But in the four years since he has been pastor, new developments have filled the lots. Now the adjustable rate mortgages on those homes are converting, doubling mortgage payments in some cases.

The mortgage crisis “affects the community,” Father Miceli said. “It affects community life. You can see it in the parish.” People cannot afford Catholic schools. Only retirees have time to volunteer in the parish.

The workshops “bring to the forefront what the problems are,” Father Miceli said.

Workshops continue on March 9 at Holy Family parish, Canarsie, at 11 a.m. in Creole and 12:30 p.m. in English, and on March 30 at St. Leo, Corona, 11 a.m. in English and 12:45 p.m. in Spanish.

For more details, contact Catholic Charities Housing Crisis Program at 718-722-6040.