At 1pm on Thursday, July 16, Michigan Radio’s Charity Nebbe hosted a call-in show for our Facing the Mortgage Crisis project. Guests Jamele Hage and Heather Mooney came into the studio, and Don Grimes joined in over the phone. In addition to taking calls from the audience, we hosted a web chat to take comments and questions.

Listen to the program and read the web chat HERE.

As communities all over Michigan struggle to cope with homes left empty by the foreclosure crisis, there are some communities that have been dealing with the problem of empty dwelling for much longer. Flint is one of those communities. Dan Kildee is a long time Flint resident and the Genessee County Treasurer. He founded the Genesee County Land Bank in an effort to deal with the problem of abandoned homes. He spoke with Michigan Radio’s Charity Nebbe.

Listen to the interview.

Cities, towns and villages all over Michigan have been affected by the mortgage crisis. What happens to the homes that are left behind after foreclosure? What happens to the communities that surround them? Michigan Radio’s Charity Nebbe talks to Robert Beckley who has studied these issues. He is a former Dean and Professor Emeritus of the Taubman College of Urban Planning and Architecture at the University of Michigan.

Listen to the interview.

Michigan is experiencing double-digit unemployment levels and the mortgage crisis is leaving empty homes all over the state. For Michiganders who lived through the recession of the early ’80s this crisis might seem uncomfortably familiar. As part of our series “Facing the Mortgage Crisis” Michigan Radio’s Jack Lessenberry and Charity Nebbe take a look back.

Listen to the interview.

There are people all over Michigan right now who are in danger of losing their homes. A combination of sub-prime mortgage loans, a deepening recession and a rising jobless rate has made it difficult for many people to pay their mortgages, but as this crisis continues more help is becoming available. As we continue our series “Facing the Mortgage Crisis” we contacted one of the people who is working to keep Michiganders in their homes. Michigan Radio’s Charity Nebbe talks with Kent Spencer, a Foreclosure Specialist with the Wayne County Mortgage Foreclosure Program.

Listen to the interview.