Foreclosures aren't going away. By now, the abuses that brought us to this point and continue to sink us further into the crisis -- predatory lending practices, hastily securitized loans and mortgage servicing errors -- are well known. Accountability for these abuses, however, remains an open question.

As we await the outcomes of the 50-state attorneys general settlement and the Obama administration's new federal Financial Crimes Unit led by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, we must not lose sight of the homeowners and communities who suffer the collateral damages of foreclosure.

The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law teamed up with the National Coalition for the Civil Right to Counsel and independent producer Sarah Reynolds to create a multimedia video series entitled Fighting Foreclosure: Why Legal Assistance Matters that tells the stories of homeowners around the country. The series focuses on the perspectives of people who have seen or experienced firsthand what happens when homeowners go up against banks and mortgage servicers without an advocate at their side. Time and again, with counseling and legal representation, homeowners are able to catch documentation fraud, lending violations and other unlawful practices, and negotiate a fair settlement to stay in their homes.