Strickland, Attorney General Marc Dann and Chief Justice Thomas Moyer announced the initiative Tuesday at a news conference at the Statehouse.
Moyer last year asked the state bar association to help come up with ways for lawyers to volunteer to mediate foreclosure disputes for free.
In Dayton, judicial and legal officials met at the Dayton Bar Association to help kick off the governor’s “Save the Dream” initiative.
“Save the Dream,” Ohio’s foreclosure prevention effort, is a coordinated, integrated and comprehensive response by the State of Ohio to help Ohioans remain in their homes. Keys to the program are the availability of pro bono attorneys and the use of mediation, where possible, between the homeowner and the lender.
Leading the local assistance efforts for at-risk homeowners are Helenka Marculewicz, Executive Director of the Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Project.; William Wheeler, Executive Director of the Dayton Bar Association; the Honorable Mary Katherine Huffman, Montgomery County Common Pleas Court Judge; Edward Marks, Litigation Director of Legal Aid of Western Ohio (LAWO); and Branford Brown, Managing Attorney of the LAWO Dayton Office.
The initiative includes state agencies, associations and foundations all working toward this common goal. These entities include: the Commerce Department, the Governor’s Office, the Development Department, the Attorney General’s Office, the Supreme Court of Ohio, the Treasurer’s Office, the Ohio State Bar Association, the Equal Justice Foundation, the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation, the Ohio State Legal Services Association, the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing for Ohio, the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, the Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio, Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, Columbus Legal Aid, Community Legal Aid Services, Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Project, Southeastern Ohio Legal Services and Legal Aid of Western Ohio.