As a part of the financial overhaul bill passed on July 15, Congress authorized $35 million in funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide legal assistance to low- and moderate-income families facing foreclosure, eviction and mortgage-default related proceedings. Signed into law by President Obama, the Wall St. Reform bill's inclusion of foreclosure assistance reflects the far-reaching legal needs precipitated by the financial crisis. Advocates must now focus on securing the $35 million congressional appropriation needed to finance the now-authorized program.

Read previous reporting on this issue. Read Foreclosures: A Crisis in Legal Representation, the Brennan Center's report documenting the pressing need to increase funding for legal assistance amid the foreclosure crisis.

Reprinted with permission to Pro Bono Net.