Following four years in the Army, during which he served in Desert Storm, Jack George, 31, was hired to do client reviews for a consumer counseling service. He liked what they were doing but not the way it was done, so he and a friend refined the concepts, formed their own corporation and applied for nonprofit status. The result is MyDebtCounselor.com, with offices in North Park and Reno.

George hopes to see the dot-com and his latest creation, San Diego H.O.P.E. (Home Ownership Through Programs and Education), take their place among large and respected nonprofit financial education agencies in San Diego County.

MyDebtCounselor.com serves both online and face-to-face clients, many of whom go to the office just to get their credit reports. But George says the main request is for a debt service program. “We work with people who are struggling to pay their current unsecured bills, credit card debt, student loans and medical bills,” he says.

MyDebtCounselor.com makes payment arrangements with the client’s creditors, usually getting a lower monthly payment, a reduction in the interest rate, and cessation of late charges and over-the-limit fees.

Additionally, George offers budget counseling, credit report review and H.O.P.E., which assists and counsels low- and middle-income first-time homebuyers in advance of going to a lender.

George, a who lives near the border of Hillcrest and North Park, says increased home ownership helps stabilize communities and revitalize older neighborhoods.

— Charlene Baldridge