Socialebb Strategies and Solutions

Dorothy Hicks spent 30 years in operating rooms fighting to save lives. Last year the 74-year-old retired nursed waged another battle against another epidemic, foreclosures. She helped organize a grassroots battle in Oakland, CA, and claimed victory with less than a week remaining before an auction that would have cost Dorothy Hicks her home.

Dorothy Hicks lived in that home for 39 years. She raised five children there and helped raise six grandchildren.  Three of her grandchildren are in college and she is helping them get a good education.

"I wanted to start a small business making school uniforms. That's how I got into this mess," she said.  She borrowed against the equity in her home to start the business. "I was a victim of predatory lending. I took out a loan to refinance my house. When it was time to sign papers I saw that the numbers were different than the numbers on the application. I told them, 'Wait, I cannot afford this.' They told me to sign the papers that day and that they would get me out of that loan in three to four months. Three months later I couldn't find them."

In the summer of 2007 Dorothy Hicks began receiving foreclosure notices. She called her mortgage servicer who told her she was crazy to think she could afford her house. She scoured local resources and found the ACORN consumer advocacy group. She met three other homeowners there who shared similar experiences with predatory lenders and they formed a coalition to take the case to the California State Senate in Sacramento. Legislators heard Dorothy Hicks' eloquent plea: "We are senior citizens. We need help."

Lawmakers crafted a bill designed to stem the tide of foreclosures in a state with record breaking numbers of distressed homeowners and foreclosures.  Hicks offered inspiration and guidance to local Oakland officials and they met the press in front of her home, with a week left before the auction, to announce a series of initiatives to help homeowners at risk of foreclosure.  A new coalition formed and offered a Help Hotline in the City Attorney's office, a Foreclosure Prevention Workshop at City Hall, and a public education campaign to give borrowers information they need to stay out of trouble.

Sixty percent of U.S. homeowners lose their homes without making a call to their lenders. Fear and frustration paralyze homeowners. Dorothy Hicks is no friend to fear and frustration. Dorothy Hicks fights back. "Some people are afraid to let people know they have fallen down in the wayside. I was not afraid to say I was in trouble and I needed help. I even sent President Bush a letter to tell him that banks are taking advantage of people," she said.

Dorothy Hicks received help from family and found a lender to avert the auction. She saved her home and she offers a beacon of hope to other homeowners who find themselves at risk. "Don't give up," she says. "Ask for help."