Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart testified today at a Senate Judiciary
Committee hearing chaired by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL). The
hearing focused on the current foreclosure crisis and its effects on
communities, families and the economy.

Sheriff Dart announced in October that he would suspend evictions of residents from foreclosed
properties until lenders could prove that they had given sufficient
notice to the affected residents. Many times, renters facing
eviction had been paying their rent and were unaware that their
landlord allowed the building to go into foreclosure. After
working with the court officials responsible for handling mortgage
foreclosures to create language safeguarding tenants' rights, Dart
announced Oct. 20 that he would resume evictions; since then, however, only 3 evictions have taken place.

In his testimony, Dart told "the story of a 74-year old widow who had to turn for
help from the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, after losing her
South Side home to foreclosure in August. After her husband died in
2003, their son moved in to help pay the bills on a house that had been
in their family for 20 years. When her son got sick, she re-financed
her home with an adjustable rate mortgage in an effort to make ends
meet. When her rate changed she was unable to keep up with payments.
Her bank refused to help and she lost her family’s home."

Read more in the press release on Sen. Durbin's website.

Read and view coverage here.