Michigan Radio reporter Sarah Hulett wants to speak with people who either walked away from their home or are considering walking away from their home. If you would be willing to share your story, contact us at facingthemortgagecrisis@umich.edu.

Ann Arbor, Mich.— Every day, more and more families throughout Southeast Michigan are losing their homes to mortgage foreclosure. There were over 100,000 homes affected by mortgage delinquency or foreclosure in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties in 2008, and that number is expected to exceed 150,000 in 2009. A majority of those facing foreclosure are not seeking assistance because they are often unaware of the resources available to them.

In response to the mounting crisis, Michigan Radio is launching “Facing the Mortgage Crisis,” a community engagement initiative designed to connect area residents to trusted foreclosure prevention resources that can help. The station received a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to fund this initiative, which will consist of on-air reports, special shows, town hall meetings, and information about how we as a society can cope with the foreclosure crisis.

As part of “Facing the Mortgage Crisis,” Michigan Radio and its partner, Detroit Public TV, will feature special programs and reports looking at how the foreclosure crisis has affected Michigan as a state, and Southeast Michigan in particular. Michigan Radio’s upcoming programming will examine why this crisis has hit Michigan particularly hard and provide residents with information on managing mortgage issues.

Michigan Radio is partnering with several other community organizations to help provide the community with resources on how to prevent and deal with foreclosure. Among them are the United Way of Southeast Michigan 211, Wayne County Mortgage Foreclosure Prevention Program, and the Metro Net Library Consortium, which will host town hall events around metro Detroit.

As part of this initiative, Michigan Radio and Detroit Public TV have created a special website that will feature resources for those facing foreclosure, information from partner organizations, up-to-date program details, and opportunities for the public to provide feedback on how the foreclosure crisis is affecting them. This website can be accessed at: www.facingthemortgagecrisis.org

“Facing the Mortgage Crisis” is part of a national project spearheaded by KETC, a public television station based in St. Louis, MO, as well as a part of CPB’s Public Service Media Economic Response Initiative.

Michigan Radio, the public radio station of The University of Michigan, is an NPR News station and the most-listened-to public radio service in the state, with over 500,000 listeners per week across southern Michigan. Michigan Radio broadcasts at 91.7 FM in southeastern Michigan, 91.1 FM in Flint, and 104.1 FM in western Michigan.

Has Michigan Radio helped you or someone you know through a foreclosure crisis? Use this tool to share your experience.

We’ve created a page on Facebook and a new Twitter account to help you keep track of progress on “Facing the Mortgage Crisis.” Here are the links:

Follow @ForeclosureMI on Twitter to see updates on the project. If you reference our project or content on Twitter, please use the hashtag #FTMC. That way others can keep track of the conversation.

Our page on Facebook is another way for you to find information and interact with others who need (or can provide) help.

Michigan Radio and Detroit Public TV are participating in a public broadcasting project called “Facing the Mortgage Crisis.” On this website, you’ll find information and resources you can use if you’re dealing with mortgage foreclosure, and reports about how we can cope with the foreclosure crisis that is hitting the state and the nation.

Please scroll down for news stories and other project updates.

(Photo by #anne# from Flickr)