PITTSFIELD, Mass -- "We thought maybe we had avoided the foreclosure crisis in Berkshire County, but in fact, the numbers tell us something quite different," said Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority Executive Director Brad Gordon.

The numbers he's talking about are a startling reminder that Berkshire County is not immune to the foreclosure crisis that's hurting homeowners everywhere.

"Over the last 12 months in Berkshire County, there are 271 properties that have gone into foreclosure," said Gordon.

Of those 271 foreclosures, over 100 of them are in the City of Pittsfield. That's why housing officials announced on Monday that a Western Massachusetts Foreclosure Prevention Center is opening in Pittsfield. The new office will offer free legal assistance for anyone facing foreclosure.

"One of the concerns that we've had is, looking at the statistics, we're continuing to see increases in the number of foreclosures, but we're not getting more phone calls from people. So that tells us we need to do a better job of getting the word out that this resource is here for people," said Berkshire Housing Development Corporation president Elton Ogden.

It's a resource needed to get homeowners help early, especially those who might be ashamed to ask.

"The most important reason is to break the cycle of denial and shame that many borrowers find themselves about the circumstances they find themselves in," said Massachusetts Department of Consumer Affairs undersecretary Daniel Crane.

Those are circumstances that one housing expert says will take time to fix.

"The way it's trending is that there are more properties going into foreclosure as time goes by and so I think the problem will escalate before it, in fact, gets better," said Gordon.

If you're facing foreclosure, one place you can start is on the organization's website. That's where officials say you'll find plenty of information on free and confidential counseling.

"When you know that you're not going to be able to make your mortgage payment, whether it's one mortgage payment or whether it's going to be an ongoing process, you need to get help right away," said Mass Fair Housing Executive Director Jaime Williamson.

It's a new way to get help right here in the county, where the number of those who need it continues to rise.

To find out more about getting foreclosure help in Berkshire County, visit www.thereshopewm.org.