LYNN ? Foreclosures are rising faster in Essex County than the state average, a situation that has property owners scurrying for strategies that may help them keep their homes.Those facing possible foreclosure due to predatory lending may find some useful prevention strategies at a meeting of the Massachusetts chapter of ACORN on Saturday, July 26, at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 74 South Common St.ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) helps low- and moderate-income tenants and families with first-time home-buying concerns. It has over 400,000 member families and is organized into 800 neighborhood chapters in 103 cities nationwide.”All throughout Massachusetts, as well as in cities and neighborhoods around the country, ACORN staff reaches out to troubled borrowers and gathers preliminary paperwork for the housing counseling process,” said ACORN spokesman Lorelei Kluever, noting that its sister organization, ACORN Housing, provides free counseling services to borrowers and negotiates with lending institutions on their behalf in attempts to finding affordable loan modifications.Between January and May, ACORN and ACORN Housing helped 5,400 families save their homes from foreclosure, according to Kluever. The organization’s foreclosure Prevention Fairs in Atlanta and Phoenix recently drew 300 and 450 attendees, respectively. Another fair in Houston on June 16 attracted 1,200 attendees and accepted 620 intake packets, she said.”ACORN is encouraging anyone facing foreclosure, behind on mortgages, interested in refinancing, or who would just like to learn more about predatory lending to attend the Foreclosure Prevention Fair in Lynn,” said Kluever. “Community members can stop by to receive help if they are facing foreclosure or worried about high interest rates.”The fair is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.According to Kluever, in Essex County during 2006, 5,098 high-cost loans were given out, 75 percent of which are adjustable rate mortgages (ARM). This kind of mortgage typically provides low interest rates for up to three years, then shifts to a much higher rate, which dramatically increases the monthly payment. Many unscrupulous lenders issue ARMs knowing full well that the borrowers, with relatively fixed earning power, will end up in financial trouble once the low-interest period elapses.The fallout from predatory lending practices is more evident in Essex County than in other regions of the state. During May, foreclosures in the county increased by 133 percent, surpassing the statewide average of 103 percent.In Lynn, the largest city in Essex County, 45 homes fell into foreclosure in May, compared to 21 in May 2007. Peabody, Salem, Nahant and other North Shore communities were also hard hit.Those interested in submitting an intake packet and receiving help through ACORN’s workout program should first contact Massachusetts ACORN at (800) 651-8448 to confirm that they have the correct documents ready for the intake.According to Kluever, Clients must be prepared to bring their most recent mortgage statements for their first and second mortgages, a sale date or foreclosure notice if they have received one, a hardship letter (1-2 page letter to lender describing the challenges faced), one month’s worth of the most recent pay stubs of all wage earners in the household, and proof of other applicable income (such as a child support payment and award letter, Social Security/SSI award letter, or rental or boarder income and rental agreement.)After completion of the intake packet, an ACORN housing counselor will provide assistance to families on a case-by-case basis. The foreclosure workout program has established relationships with 43 major lenders in the U.S. and assists families in working out repayment loans, forbearance plans, loan modifications, refinances and partial claims, Kluever said.People who find themselves faced with a high adjustable rate are often able to bring their rate down to a low fixed one, or are gi