December 29, 2021 3:10 a.m.

The foreclosure moratorium in Oregon will end on Friday.

A release from Oregon Housing and Community Services said the moratorium was established to prevent foreclosures for those who lost income or were unable to pay their mortgage as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The legislation also allowed impacted homeowners to defer their mortgage payments through the end of this year.

OHCS said homeowners who have fallen behind or are at risk of missing a payment on their mortgage can get free help from certified housing counselors around the state to learn about their options. Homeowners who are on a forbearance plan can also get help from their housing counselors to work with their lender on exiting the forbearance plan and making up any deferred payments.

The full list of free certified housing counselors by county is at: https://www.oregon.gov/ohcs/homeownership/pages/housing-counseling.aspx

Some may be closed until Monday and may take longer to respond due to the holidays and remote working policies.