Foreclosure explained · For teens & families
You heard “foreclosure.”
What happens now?
Understand what it means, find local help, and get support with school if housing changes. Start with two questions.
You don’t have to know the legal terms. And if you’re a teen, you don’t have to handle this on your own.
Find the right help
Choose a guide below. Each one explains where to start and whom to contact.
No names, addresses or case documents. Your choices stay in this page and are not sent to a provider. This is a guide to resources, not an application or a test of eligibility.
Prefer to browse?
Go straight to a guide.
New York
Find housing help
Housing counselors, legal resources and a starting point for an adult.
Open the New York guide →Los Angeles County
Find local support
Separate paths for homeowners, renters, school support and somewhere to stay.
Open the LA County guide →For young people
What’s yours to handle?
Questions you can ask, people you can turn to, and tasks an adult should take on.
Start here →Why I started this
I’m Ellie Mitola, a sociology student at UCLA. During a legal internship in New York, I saw how difficult foreclosure language can be to follow—especially for young people whose families are going through it.
I started Foreclosure Decoded to explain the process and make useful contacts easier to find. The LA County guide brings that work closer to where I study, including the connection between housing and school.
The goal is simple: help someone understand their next step and find a qualified person who can help with it.