KALAMAZOO (NEWSHCANNEL 3) - Foreclosure has a face... it's the face of a family who had their own home one day and found themselves homeless the next.

It's a problem that has a strong hold over Michigan. New numbers show Michigan ranked third in the nation for the number of foreclosures in 2007.

And families right in our own community need help. Kalamazoo County has more than 1,300 properties in the foreclosure process.

But County officials are trying to fight that. Tuesday night, they held an event that allowed homeowners to ask for help early, even before getting behind on a mortgage payment.

Pat Sanders is living proof of the need for that help. Her family lost their home after her landlord took her monthly payments and didn't pay the mortgage.

"We were kind of like, blind, we didn't know what was going on," she said. "We just trusted him."

County organizers say that often fear or pride keep people from coming forward before it's too late.

"People shouldn't feel embarrassed, it's very technical stuff," said Western Michigan Legal Aid Ragan Savara.

Tuesday's fair brought together banks, credit counseling, legal assistance and service agencies, for a one-stop shop for foreclosure help.

"We're really trying to help people learn about the services in the community that may be able to help them, and save their homes," said Savara.

Pat Sanders says she just wishes she had done more research, and had known more about what's available. Because she didn't, she lost her home, and $13,000 in rent payments.

"You can't trust everybody, got to look out for yourself," said Sanders. "Even to this day, it destroys me even to think that it's gone, it's gone and there's nothing I can do about it, unless I hit the lottery."

Check out the links section of our web page for more information on foreclosure help.