The Pennsylvania Bar Association, along with 26 county bar associations (including the Bucks County Bar Association), launched the “Pandemic preparedness: When your home is at risk” public information campaign this week. Part of a statewide effort co-sponsored by the PBA, the Pennsylvania Bar Trust Fund and county bar associations across the state, the campaign was developed to increase the public’s understanding of their rights when renting or owning a home, with a special focus on the impact from the pandemic.
“With unemployment rates at an all-time high in Pennsylvania, many residents are still feeling negative financial impacts of COVID-19, especially when it comes to their homes,” said PBA president David E. Schwager. “Missed rent and mortgage payments are piling up, and while some temporary protections and programs for renters and borrowers have been put in place, many will need help once they end. What rights, if any, will they have if their homes are in jeopardy? Is there legal help available? This public information campaign tackles these issues and more.”
Running during the month of October, the main components of the campaign include two recorded presentations for potentially impacted mortgage holders and renters: One where Schwager interviews Rasheedah Phillips, managing attorney of housing policy for Community Legal Services of Philadelphia about rental eviction, and another about mortgage foreclosures with Schwager interviewing Lori Toia, director of the Home Emergency Mortgage Association Program at the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency; two free informational brochures – one for renters and one for mortgage holders with essentials on the home renting and home buying process and expectations; fact sheets about the mortgage foreclosure and rental eviction process and current support that is available, as well as online links to other informational resources from additional Pennsylvania associations and nonprofits.
To alert Pennsylvanians about the informational effort, ads will be placed in more than 70 newspapers under an agreement with the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association and 30-second television and radio spots will air under an agreement with the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters.
“Pandemic preparedness: When your home is at risk” is the 15th in a series of statewide public education efforts conducted under the direction of the PBA Community and Public Relations Committee. Previous campaigns have addressed such issues as grandparent custody, expungement of criminal records, reporting child abuse, education rights of exceptional children, child support, wills and estates, identity theft and credit issues.
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