WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Charles Schumer Wednesday said Upstate New Yorkers have so far avoided the worst of the foreclosure crisis, faring better than most states in the face of the national housing crisis. However, experts expect foreclosure rates to climb across the state unless preventative measures are taken immediately.

Out of the 922,000 households in the Hudson Valley, 6,100 of them (0.66 percent) have had at least one foreclosure action filed in the last 12 months, 0.81 percent below the national average.

In response to a continued crisis across the country, Schumer is pushing for Senate passage of a comprehensive, bi-partisan housing bill on the floor this week. The bill would deliver support to communities and cities across the state trying to stave off foreclosures as the housing market continues to falter.

The bill contains over $650 million for New York State under three key provisions. It provides nearly $7 million in new funding for housing counseling organizations that assist troubled borrowers; nearly $120 million in Community Development Block Grant funding to help communities struggling with the indirect costs of foreclosures; and over $630 million in new tax-exempt bond authority for state housing finance agencies to refinance homeowners trapped in unaffordable loans, as well as create a new refinancing option through the Federal Housing Administration for borrowers who cannot afford their payments on loans that are worth more than their homes.

The housing bill has been introduced by Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Richard Shelby (R-AL).