NORFOLK --  As foreclosures force families out of their homes, there are groups that stand ready to help. Norfolk families are learning about them from the very people who must get them out.

“We’re looking at just over 200 people a month getting evicted in Norfolk,” said Sheriff Bob McCabe.

Terri Winters is one of them.  She was evicted from her Norfolk apartment just last week.

"I got to have somewhere to stay. I don't have any family to run to at all," she said.

Gerald Green, his fiancée April and their one-year-old daughter had to leave the home they’d been renting – even though they were paying the rent. It seems the landlord wasn’t paying the mortgage and they didn’t find out until it was too late.

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“I was panicking, honestly. I didn't know what to do," Green said.  “We had no money put away to look for another place or anything like that, so my car had been stolen a month before with no insurance on it and I had to spend that money on bills and moving into this place. It was unexpected.”

That’s when Norfolk's Homeless Action and Response Team – HART – stepped in.

“We're seeing families come into the office. They're paying rent,  have no where to go,” said Alisa Berry with HART.

HART keeps a list of landlords who they can trust who, at a moment's notice, are ready to take in someone who's been put out on the street.

Hart found a new home for Green and April and helped pay their security deposit. It's also reviewing Winters' case.

In Norfolk, evictions are up five percent.  About 5,000 notices a year go out and 2,500 evictions are actually executed.

Other Southside cities, including Portsmouth and Chesapeake, also have seen increases in evictions since last year.

As he saw the numbers grow, Sheriff McCabe decided he didn't want his department to look like the bad guy. So, his deputies started posting a letter with every eviction notice. It has phone numbers for places that offer help, including HART. He wanted to make citizens had some place to turn in their time of need.

HART was a lifesaver for Gerald and April.

“I'm glad they were there because, without them, we would be stuck,” stated Green.

To contact HART, call 757-664-6083.