Cobb County Chairwoman Lisa Cupid and realtor and housing advocate Donna Middlebrooks urged residents during a recorded conversation to seek help early if they are struggling with rent or mortgage payments, directing viewers to FindHelpGeorgia.org and the county’s Find Help landing page for local assistance.

Middlebrooks, who identified herself as a long-time Cobb resident and housing advocate, emphasized that borrowers should ‘‘call your service provider’’ and ‘‘do not ignore the phone calls’’ from mortgage servicers. She said many servicers ‘‘don’t want your home’’ and would prefer to work out alternatives, noting options such as forbearance, loan adjustments, interest‑only or principal‑only arrangements, and, if a situation is very far along, short sale with servicer permission.

The conversation included a concrete example Middlebrooks described of a ‘‘family of 6’’ living in a car, which prompted her to search nonprofit and ministry contacts to determine whether the family could be helped and ‘‘if there’s a home that we need to try and save.’’

Both speakers framed shelter as a critical need after food security and said housing instability affects homeowners, renters and people experiencing homelessness. Middlebrooks recommended starting conversations with trusted contacts—‘‘go back to your original realtor that helped you sell the house’’ or ‘‘go back to the original lender that helped you finance the house’’—and with local agencies such as the housing authority.

To find local services she pointed viewers to a searchable directory: ‘‘findhelpgeorgia.org,’’ where residents can enter a ZIP code to locate assistance for mortgage, rental, food and mental‑health resources. Chairwoman Cupid said her office called several organizations listed on the resource page and ‘‘all of them had food’’ and expressed intent to post the resources referenced during the conversation on the county’s site.

Middlebrooks also urged households to address budgeting and household spending collectively and mentioned modern tools—budgeting apps and other digital trackers—that can help families monitor expenses and better navigate shortfalls before they become crises.

The discussion closed with a mutual appeal to overcome pride or embarrassment and ask for help early. Chairwoman Cupid said Cobb County will post the resources discussed so residents can locate local services and supports.