The annual conference of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition featured an emotional March 13 session that came close to imitating a religious revival to urge members to participate in a June 11 national Day of Action to pressure politicians, lenders, mortgage servicers, judges and other key actors to accept responsibility for easing the widespread pain caused by mortgage foreclosures, job losses and the resulting deterioration of communities.

Home foreclosures….job loss…health insurance, or lack thereof…plummeting 401ks….

Millions of Americans are hurting. And the hurt is crossing all racial, social and economic divides. No one is immune. People who never in their lives have needed help may now be knocking on your door.

Government efforts over the past 2 years have focused solely on the market and rescuing our financial services system. While I happen to be one of those community advocates who think letting the banks fail was not an option, I believe strongly that letting homeowners fail was also not an option.

But fail they have, by the millions, with 10-13 million more households in jeopardy, further insuring a worsening recession for our nations future.