Governor Rendell Reminds Families of Resources to Help Avoid Foreclosures, Prov...(uding 1551 in Philadelphia and its four ...),Health

Last month, the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency reported that it received more than 1,450 applications for help through HEMAP--the most ever in a single month. Already this year, the program has helped 2,200 families avoid foreclosure.

The Governor also cited a figure showing that more than 88,000 Pennsylvanians owe more on their homes than what the house is worth - meaning 1 in every 15 homeowners with a mortgage has what is known as an "underwater" loan.

"These numbers demonstrate the challenges facing our families and their need for help making it through these hard times," said Governor Rendell. "But those challenges extend beyond housing. People, who through no fault of their own, who have lost a job are not only trying to manage the loss of their income, they're trying to manage loss of the health insurance coverage or other benefits."

In addition to providing additional funding to HEMAP, Governor Rendell also took steps to cut the adultBasic program waiting list by as many as 16,000 people; extend home heating assistance to benefit approximately 19,000 families; expand the hours and operation of state-run Pennsylvania CareerLink centers; and launched a new Web site, www.PaRxPriceFinder.com, allowing consumers to find the best local price for prescription drugs.

The Governor also launched www.HereToHelp.pa.gov, a Web site offering easy access to existing state programs that can serve citizens of all ages and businesses on matters of unemployment compensation, property tax relief, veterans benefits, education, job training, as well as health care and prescription drug coverage.

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