Opinion: Foundation Chief Urges Government to Do More to Help Homeowners

Luis Ubiñas, president of the Ford Foundation, outlines four priorities that the government should undertake to ensure that Americans can keep their homes, in an opinion article for Forbes.

Mr. Ubiñas urges policy makers to reject the idea that helping homeowners is tantamount to assisting deadbeats; end predatory lending practices; move quickly to use vacated properties; and ensure that all Americans have access to fair and responsible financial services.

Mr. Ubiñas writes, “Over the last decade, innovative partnerships between the public and private sectors have proved that low- and moderate-income Americans can be reliable borrowers and responsible homeowners. Turning back the clock on this progress is the exact wrong way to respond to today’s mortgage crisis. We know that responsible lending to these communities works. Now, more than ever, we need the commitment to ensure it continues. “

Plus: Read an opinion piece from the new issue of The Chronicle about the lessons nonprofit leaders should learn from the foreclosure problems and other economic challenges facing the United States.