State launches “Get Help Now;” needs professional volunteers

Posted by on June 29, 2009

Rendell launches “Get Help Now” volunteer effort

Governor Ed Rendell has launched the Get Help Now, Pennsylvania volunteer initiative to provide financial and legal help to the many Pennsylvanians who still face difficult situations while the economic recovery takes hold.

In a statewide webcast, Governor Rendell announced that he has enlisted attorneys, banking and mortgage professionals, and financial analysts who are knowledgeable in the area of finance, credit, and/or bankruptcy to serve on help desks in many of the county bar association offices.

Under the initiative, volunteers will provide assistance to consumers on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 1 to 6 p.m., starting July 7 and culminating on Sept. 11 with a National Day of Service and Remembrance. More information on the project is available here or  by calling the Pennsylvania Bar Association, toll-free, at 1-888-799-4557.

http://www.pa.gov/portal/server.pt/community/taxes___finances/3065/get_help_now_pa/551869

Many Pennsylvanians are struggling financially due to the national recession. Nearly 115,000 Pennsylvania homeowners were delinquent with their mortgages in the first quarter of 2009. In 2008, there were 42,949 foreclosures across the state – an increase of 127 percent from 2007. As foreclosures continue to rise, so does credit card debt and bankruptcies.

Get Help Now PA is a collaborative effort of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bankers Association, the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association, the Pennsylvania Association of Community Bankers, the Mortgage Bankers Association of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Association of Mortgage Brokers, the Pennsylvania Financial Services Association, the Office of the First Lady and Pennsylvania Department of Banking.