VOA标准英语2010年-Law Students Help Homeowners Facing Fo

Law students from Florida A&M University go door to door offering help to homeowners facing foreclosure.

The law students from Florida A&M University are going door-to-door in low-income neighborhoods to educate residents about property foreclosures and loan refinancing scams. 

The program is backed by a national nonprofit organization created by Congress to help revitalize communities.

House calls

As they walk the streets of Pine Hills, a suburb of Orlando, the students don't have to go far to find victims of the collapse¹ of the US housing market. 

 

People like Louvon and Thomas Roberson, who are struggling to stay in their home. They paid a company to help them get a mortgage loan modification² but their loan was not modified and, they say, the money they paid to the company was not returned.

"They gave us a 100 percent money-back guarantee," says Louvon Roberson. "We liked that because, if they couldn't get the modification, they were going to give us our money back. Like we wasn't losing anything."

The Robersons now attend a clinic at Florida A&M's law school. The law students - including Christy Collins - are helping³ them take action in small claims court to recover their money.

"The economy is in such dire⁴ straits right now with all these foreclosures and things like that. So people are looking for some sort of answer."

Hard hit

According to the Pew Hispanic Center, neighborhoods with large immigrant and minority populations, such as Pine Hills, have been hit hard with foreclosures.

Some residents do not speak English.

Silvestre Plasencia, an immigrant from Cuba, didn't understand the terms of his variable rate mortgage when he signed the papers during the housing boom.

Like many in his neighborhood, he lost his job in the recession and is now facing foreclosure.

"My plan?" he says. "I don't know. I don't know what I'm going to do. What can I do?"

More than two million American homes are currently in foreclosure. In Florida, one in more than 150 homes received a foreclosure notice in July - the highest number nationwide after California.

Scams

Florida A&M law professor, Eunice Caussade-Garcia, says the crisis has spawned⁵ many companies offering assistance on refinancing.

"But they're not legitimate⁶ and basically what they end up doing is stealing people's money and unfortunately, a lot of times, they do lose their homes regardless of seeking the help," says Caussade-Garcia.

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, the foreclosure rate is continuing to climb.

So the students, while gaining real-world legal  experience, hope their efforts will be the last-line of defense⁷ for families that risk losing their homes.

 

1 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

2 modification   

n.修改，改进，缓和，减轻

参考例句：

• The law,in its present form,is unjust;it needs modification.现行的法律是不公正的，它需要修改。
• The design requires considerable modification.这个设计需要作大的修改。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

5 spawned   

（鱼、蛙等）大量产（卵）( spawn的过去式和过去分词 )； 大量生产

参考例句：

• The band's album spawned a string of hit singles. 这支乐队的专辑繁衍出一连串走红的单曲唱片。
• The computer industry has spawned a lot of new companies. 由于电脑工业的发展，许多新公司纷纷成立。

6 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。