SPRINGFIELD -- Their dreams of keeping their homes out of foreclosure have turned into nightmares for some homeowners.  While they hoped the new federal loan modification program would get them out of trouble, government red tape has set them back.  Help could be on the way, however.

  A loan modification lets homeowners renegotiate the terms of their home loans if they can prove financial hardship.  For some, it's taken so long to get those lower payments that they've lost their homes in the process.

  Housing counselor Tonya Collister of Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Springfield has crunched numbers with a lot of families, hoping to help them stay in their homes, even after they took advantage of the loan modification program.

  “I don't think servicers are able to handle the demand,” said Collister.

  It's caused a dramatic backlog, forcing the very homeowners they were supposed to help into foreclosure. Collister says help is on the way.

  “They're going to streamline the process and hold servicers accountable and report their performances to Treasury,” she said.

  Already, an 11-page application has been reduced to three pages.  The conversion campaign also aims to make all temporary loan modifications permanent by the end of the year. 

  Collister worries red tape could still get the best of some homeowners, so they should continue to do what they can to hurry along the process.

  “Keep calling them.  The squeaky wheel gets the most grease.  If you're making payments on a trial plan, keep making them until they tell you to stop, and keep good records,” said Collister.

  Makinghomeaffordable.gov is the Web site you want to visit if you're interested in a loan modification.  It might also be helpful to sit down with someone face to face to go through the process. 

  Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Springfield can help for free. Its number is (417) 889-7474.