Providing myriad services

LIFE helps Sandy victims

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For those having trouble paying their mortgage, are in foreclosure or in need of help following Hurricane Sandy, the Cedarhurst-based organization, Labor & Industry For Education, Inc. (LIFE), provides that assistance at no cost.

Patricia Dupont of Elmont heard about LIFE six months ago in the midst of her more than two-year mortgage struggle. “I needed mortgage modification and finally after a series of difficulties and having nothing get done, I called Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy’s (D-Mineola) and was referred to LIFE,” she said. “From the minute I called my case was picked up and once I went into the office, we started working from there.”

It was a breath of fresh air for Dupont as LIFE immediately began sending in the necessary paperwork for the bank to process her mortgage case. “It took about four months for my mortgage modification to be approved,” she said. “Without them I would have lost my house. They helped me tremendously and I was able to have peace of mind.”

LIFE Director Elie Hecht said the organization was founded 25 years ago as a nonprofit and became funded by the New York State Attorney General’s Office four years ago. “We’ve received about a million dollars through their office,” he said. “We’ve represented people across the South Shore with their banks, talked to mortgage services on their behalf and helped them through the process after Sandy.”

Hecht added that it could be difficult, if not nearly impossible, for homeowners to get through the foreclosure process on their own. “We prepare documentation the bank asks for, advocate on their behalf and give them advice to help them through the process,” he said. “If Sandy issues have caused them to fall behind on their mortgage payments or they have to sell their home, we help them find a soft landing.”

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