The National Association of Realtors has extended its successful "Operation Home Relief" campaign, which is designed to give military service families a voice by contributing financial counseling and aid to help keep them in their homes. Though launched just last month, the NAR has already matched $20,000 in donations.

The NAR has used this Facebook campaign to promote USA Cares, an organization dedicated to providing aid to help post-9/11 veterans and active-duty military personnel avoid foreclosure.

Through the consumer website, HouseLogic.com, a free comprehensive website about homeownership for homeowners, Operation Home Relief aims to increase awareness, rally support and raise funding that provides foreclosure assistance in the form of financial counseling and grants to post-9/11 active duty U.S. military service personnel, veterans and their families."

"NAR believes that any family who loses a home to foreclosure is one family too many," said NAR President Ron Phipps, broker-president of Phipps Realty in Warwick, R.I. "Foreclosures don't just affect the families that lose their homes; a foreclosure lowers the value of every home in the surrounding neighborhood. That's why we're so pleased with America's response to Operation Home Relief, and why we're committing additional funds to support military families who need assistance."

What financial hardships do service members face? The NAR reports:

• Reserves called to active service often find themselves earning far less money in the military than they did at their civilian jobs.

• Spouses often have to cut back on working hours to take care of children, since they have no one to share childcare duties with.

• Service members may find jobs gone when they return—the factory they worked for is now padlocked.

• Service members may have injuries that prevent them from returning to the same jobs they had, and various disability programs don't make up the difference. Meanwhile, spouses have to take care of them, and

• Service members' homes have lost significant value, making refinancing difficult.

Invite your friends (Operation Home Relief will donate $1 for every join until they reach their goal) by visiting apps.facebook.com.

Published: November 16, 2010

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Carla Hill, M.A., works on the Realty Times staff as Managing Editor for our online publication. She also is Producer for the real estate news channel, seen daily on RealtyTimes.com and on video newsletters nationwide.