Recognizing that many families facing foreclosure do not have the financial resources to hire an attorney, Ohio state leaders rolled out a new legal initiative Tuesday that will help officials expand the Ohio “Save the Dream” campaign by adding a legal volunteer service to the state’s foreclosure prevention effort.
The new initiative will place 1,100 legal and not-for-profit attorneys on a roster, so “Save the Dream” can refer distressed borrowers to qualified legal counselors for assistance.

Borrowers will have to meet certain income requirements—defined as 250-percent of the federal poverty guidelines or a $54,000 annual income for a family of four—to qualify for the aid. Attorneys offering the aid are from various legal aid networks or are working pro-bono.
“Nearly 1,100 Ohio lawyers have volunteered to assist Ohio homeowners facing the potential loss of their homes,” said Ohio State Bar Association President Rob Ware. “These 1,100 lawyers—and more will join their ranks—are being assigned to local legal service providers to be matched with qualified clients and will work with lower income Ohioans who could not otherwise afford legal counsel.”
The “Save the Dream” campaign is a statewide Ohio foreclosure prevention initiative that includes a complete media outreach campaign, as well as a hotline for foreclosure prevention counseling.
The new legal component of the campaign was ushered in by Governor Ted Strickland, Ohio Chief Justice Thomas Moyer, Attorney General Marc Dann, State Treasurer Richard Cordray, Director of Commerce Kimberly Zurz and Ohio State Bar Association President Rob Ware.
Numbers pulled from Supreme Court of Ohio statistics show the state had 83,000 new foreclosure filings last year—a record high for the state, according to the “Save the Dream” campaign.