"We give the residents of Loudoun County tools to talk to their lenders and loan counselors," said Johnson, "We give them ideas on what to say and what not to say. Our goal is to help people who find themselves facing foreclosures to know there are options".

According to the task force, "Increasing foreclosure rates not only negatively impact the individuals and families involved through home loss, related financial devastation, and family disruption-but increasingly have a correspondingly negative impact on communities."

The Loudoun Cooperative Extension is a joint program of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and state and local governments. The task force was created by Governor Tim Kaine to develop strategies to help address Virginia’s growing foreclosure rate.