Fighting Detroit's foreclosure crisis

Enter Jamele Hage and the Wayne County Mortgage Foreclosure Prevention Program.

The non-profit program provides comprehensive education, counseling, referral, intervention and other support services at no cost to Wayne County residents who are in delinquency, foreclosure or who have a mortgage product that the resident thinks may become a problem.

Hage, an attorney, was sitting next to County Executive Robert Ficano at a meeting in late 2007 when he whispered in her ear. The county needed a foreclosure program. And she should start it. It was either volunteer or be drafted, so this mother of three designed the MFPP. (She still serves as assistant corporation counsel for Wayne County and has nearly 20 years of legal experience.)