DURHAM, N.C. -- Durham homeowner Tony Garrett said it's nothing short of a miracle.

High interest rates almost caused him and his wife to lose their dream home – one they had owned for nearly a decade.

"My faith is what kept me," he said.

Garrett said that faith kept him from buckling, despite the feeling that there was nowhere to turn.

"[We] didn't know who to talk to., didn't know what we were looking at," he said.

That's where the City of Durham hope came in. Along with a lending watchdog group called the Neighborhood Pride Alliance, the city was able to help lower Garrett's interest rates.

And in a workshop held this weekend, organizers shared that good news with others. More than 200 people registered for the event.

Their positive message is simple: homeowners can still keep their houses -- even when things take a turn for the worse.

"A lot of these houses can be saved, but because of the embarrassment that comes along with a financial crisis, they don't ask for help," Martha McNair, of the Saving Your Dream Committee, said.

Local Real Estate Solutions owner Nathan Kirby said there is help for homeowners in trouble.

"The biggest thing we need to help folks understand is, we gotta face reality," Kirby, a speaker at the event, said. "If it looks like you're headed for foreclosure, the banks will work with you."

Those same banks worked with Garrett's foreclosure counselors. His interest rate was lowered from more than 11 percent to 5.5 percent.

"God sent an angel, and I'm just thankful," Garrett said.