With the mortgage foreclosure moratorium set to expire in December 2021 and the anticipation of increasing foreclosure notices because of the COVID-19 pandemic, OCJ engaged Brink Communications to develop an outreach campaign to help connect folks with vital public resources to help them avoid foreclosure. The campaign launched in July 2022 and ran through October 2022, with social, print, radio, and digital ads across several platforms and search engine marketing. 

“We know that during the subprime scandal, thousands of Oregonians were targeted by scammers with a disproportionate impact on communities of color,” said Jagjit Nagra, executive director at OCJ, “This campaign helped to prevent people from losing their homes due to scams.”

The groups identified at the highest risk of foreclosure were Black seniors and Latino families. The campaign used a research-informed multilingual and intersectional approach to reach Black seniors and their families, Spanish speakers, and Latino/a/x homeowners to help them access available funds immediately. Our core messaging aimed to help homeowners regain control during difficult and fearful times and to support them in making the best decision about their foreclosure situation. Overall the campaign generated more than 8.9 million ad impressions, nearly 151,000 ad clicks to the website, and 69,615 new users.
 

State agency partners, Oregon Housing and Community Services, the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services Division of Financial Regulation, and the Oregon Department of Justice worked alongside OCJ to develop www.oregonhomeownerhelp.org as an ongoing, central hub for foreclosure prevention resources. The campaign’s initial success resulted in more than 300 people connecting with housing counselors in their area, and the state received around 1,300 applications for funding support by early September 2022. Homeowners can continue to use this website to connect with free and confidential housing counselors who can help them keep their homes and access other state and federal resources, including information on how to avoid fraudulent scams and connect to legal assistance.