Media Coverage

Community Responds to Facing the Mortgage Crisis

View some community testimonials about the ideastream series Facing the Mortgage Crisis.

Frontline - Close to Home

Frontline -The Warning

Marketplace Money Broadcast Live from Cleveland

Foreclosures, a driver of recession, eases off across Patchwork Nation

90.3 WCPN Ideastream’s Mhari Saito Earns 2009 Ohio Society of Professional Journalist Award

Once Upon A Job

‘Short Payoffs’ Help Ohioans Keep Homes

In Ohio, foreclosure rescue funds were intended to help borrowers become “current” on mortgage payments. Now the funds are being coupled with whatever some mortgage holders can afford to complete a buyout of their loan obligations — sometimes for as little as 10 cents on the dollar. Mhari Saito reports for WCPN.

Listen to the report here.

Michigan Radio: What Detroit Can Learn From Cleveland

Jennifer Guerra reports for Michigan Radio on the mortgage crisis in Detroit by looking at what is happening in Cleveland.

Listen to the whole story here:

Not Much Relief (The New York Times)

The Obama antiforeclosure plan should reduce principal rather than reduce monthly payments because it restores equity to borrowers, according to this editorial from The New York Times.

Read the editorial here.

So Many Foreclosures, So Little Logic (The New York Times)

Lenders lose much more money on foreclosures than on loan modifications. So why are they so hesitant to modify mortgages? Read more by Columnist Gretchen Morgenson of the New York Times.

Read the column here.

New Evidence on the Foreclosure Crisis (The Wall Street Journal)

What is really behind the mushrooming rate of mortgage foreclosures since 2007? Read Wall Street Journal columnist Stan Liebowitz’s take.

Read the column here.

Boarded Homes & Abandoned Dreams (Feagler & Friends)

Boarded-up houses and abandoned dreams have turned parts of Cleveland into ghost towns. Cuyahoga County is still experiencing 1,200 foreclosures every month, despite a federal mortgage rescue effort and determined efforts to stem the calamity and keep homeowners under roof. Cuyahoga County Treasurer Jim Rokakis and Cleveland City Councilman Tony Brancatelli join host Dick Feagler to discuss.

A Better Life: Creating the American Dream (American RadioWorks)

The “American dream” has powered the hopes and aspirations of Americans for generations. It began as a plain but revolutionary notion: each person has the right to pursue happiness, and the freedom to strive for a better life through hard work and fair ambition. But over time, this dream has come to represent a set of expectations about owning things and making money. So what exactly is the American dream? How did we come to define it? And is it changing?

Listen to the program on-demand.

Foreclosure Home Assistance LLC of Cleveland Among Three Companies Accused of Scams (Plain Dealer)

Hard Times in Middletown (American RadioWorks)

For almost a century, Muncie, Indiana has been known as “Middletown,” the quintessential American community. But now, as the rust-belt city grapples with deepening recession, many residents are losing their hold on the middle class. Think of them as the brittle class, just one fragile rung above poverty on the economic ladder.

Listen to the program on-demand.

Foreclosure City (American Radioworks)

Until recently, Las Vegas was one of the few places where the American Dream still seemed widely possible. Each month, thousands of people flocked there, lured by the promise of good jobs and a chance to own a home. It was the fastest growing city in the country. But now, Las Vegas has a new distinction: the nation’s highest foreclosure rate.

Listen to the program on-demand.

Profile of Cleveland Arts Prize Winner Amy Casey

Cleveland Arts Prize winner Amy Casey’s subject matter is the landscape of old homes, warehouses and factories that spread across Northeast Ohio. In a time of economic gloom, her compelling images of buildings teetering on the edge of disaster, surrounded by crumbling highways under constant repair, have won national acclaim. ideastream producer David C. Barnett has prepared this portrait of an artist who has tapped into the mood of our time

Low-Cost Activities, Plus Week in Review (A Place of Our Own)

How can I create activities for my kids that won’t cost a lot?

The current financial crisis is impacting children, families and child care providers throughout this country.  A very special episode of A Place of Our Own focuses on providing tips and advice to help families and child care providers, not just endure, but thrive during these difficult times.  Also featured will be one of the most versatile toys available for kids: the cardboard box.  With paint, scissors, glue and tape, lowly cardboard boxes can be transformed into castles, cars, airplanes, or almost anything a child is able to imagine.

Resources, video and more are available on this topic from A Place of Our Own.

All Boarded Up (New York Times)

Foreclosures not only devastate individuals and families, but whole communities. Cleveland has often been a focus of the national foreclosure crisis—a city suffering from a high foreclosure rate since 2005. How does this Northeast Ohio city deal with neighborhoods of empty houses caused by the mortgage crisis?

In March, the New York Times Magazine ran a story by reporter Alex Kotlowitz--All Boarded Up: How Cleveland is Dealing With Mass Foreclosure--examining this issue from right here in Cleveland.

Read the story at the New York Times website here.

Caregivers Coping in Hard Times (A Place of Our Own)

Several of our parents have pulled children out of child care due to their own financial struggle. Do you have suggestions for providers trying to manage during these tough times?

The economic downturn has hit child care providers especially hard.  As parents face financial difficulties, many have been unable to bear the cost of paid child care, causing child care provider to lose business.  How can child care providers weather this financial storm without sacrificing the quality of care?  This issue will be explored on a special episode of A Place of Our Own.  With advice from child care specialist, Jocelyn Tucker and coping techniques from psychiatrist, Dr. Charles Sophy, A Place of Our Own will focus on practical solutions for child care providers - to help them reduce the costs associated with child care and explore alternative funding sources that may relieve some of their economic burdens.

Resources, video and more are available on this topic from A Place of Our Own.

Trimming Your Family’s Food Budget (A Place of Our Own)

I have three kids and my husband recently lost his job so we’re on a really tight budget. Do you have any ideas to make sure our kids are at least eating right during tough times?

Children need to eat healthy foods in order to grow and properly develop. But with many families’ food budgets shrinking during tough economic times, some parents might be tempted sacrifice nutritious and natural foods for lower cost processed food.  “Trimming Your Families Food Budget” will show you how to give your children the nutritious foods they require while cutting down your grocery bill at the same time.  Plus, poor nutrition and hunger can have a social and emotional impact on your family, so child psychiatrist Dr. Charles Sophy advises on how to weather the storm during an economic hardship.

Resources, video and more are available on this topic from A Place of Our Own.

Financial Tips to Help Families Cope (A Place of Our Own)

I’m the single mother of a 4-year-old and I’m struggling to make ends meet. How can I help make sure my daughter is not affected by our challenges?

The financial challenges many of us are facing today affect the entire family dynamic and can be overwhelming to manage.  This can be due to the inability for many people to pay for such necessities as rent, child care, utility bills, and more.  “Financial Tips to Help Families Cope” is about helping families discover new ways save money, cut costs and prioritize monthly spending to get the most for your dollar.  Plus, child psychiatrist Dr. Charles Sophy continues to lend his expertise on how to help children as we all learn to cope with new financial changes.

Resources, video and more are available on this topic from A Place of Our Own.

Protecting Kids Emotionally During Tough Economic Times (A Place of Our Own)

My family has really been struggling financially since my husband lost his job. We’ve had to move to a smaller apartment & make many other changes. Can you give us any advice for getting our kids through the difficult times ahead?

The current financial crisis is impacting families throughout this country.  New economic realities are forcing many families to make changes, both big and small, which affect their children.  A very special, and timely, episode of A Place of Our Own examines how we, as adults, can help young children understand changing financial circumstances without scaring them.  This special episode of A Place of Our Own features child psychiatrist, Dr. Charles Sophy, helping the Sharp family explain to their 2 ½ -year-old son why they’ve had to move in with a family member after his father lost his job.  This show gives parents the tools to reassure and emotionally support their children, to help them cope during these sometimes frightening and unstable times.

Resources, video and more are available on this topic from A Place of Our Own.

Facing the Mortgage Crisis: A special edition of The Diane Rehm Show

Diane Rehm hosted a special edition of the Diane Rehm Show on April 29, 2009, right before a President Obama press conference about his policy decisions that addressed the troubled economy.

Listen to the program on-demand.

Slavic Village Mortgage Mess (Bill Moyers Journal)

The Bill Moyers Journal travels to ground zero of the mortgage meltdown--Cleveland, Ohio. Correspondent Rick Karr takes viewers to Slavic Village, one of the hardest hit neighborhoods in the nation when it comes to the spate of foreclosures caused by the subprime mortgage crisis.

Watch the segment on-demand.

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