A Wall Street Journal article today explored the shortcomings of the current Administration’s foreclosure prevention problem. One of the most frustrating issues was the revelation that many federally approved housing counselors are encouraging struggling homeowners not yet behind in their payments to let their mortgage slide for several months before reapplying for government loan modification help.

The Journal quoted one Alisha Gorder of Connecticut who contacted a housing counselor and was told, “Stop paying on the mortgage since you don’t have the resources to cover all your expenses,” and basically check back for help when she was actually delinquent on her mortgage.

“To be told I should do something to put my family in this risky position doesn’t make sense,” Gorder said. “I had a lot of faith in the system. For me, it’s really shocking and jarring to see that the system doesn’t work.”

The problem seems to stem from lender and counselor confusion about the actual rules of the Obama plan announced in February. The requirements allow for not only those behind on their payments to qualify for mortgage modifications but also those who are simply “at-risk” of falling behind. And apparently many lenders do not feel there has been adequate communication from government officials about the plan’s details and how it should be administered.

To date only about 200,000 homeowners have had their home loans modified under the government’s plan, when originally the Obama team promised as many as 3 million borrowers could benefit.

As a result representatives from 25 major mortgage servicing companies have been asked to meet in the Capitol tomorrow to talk with the Administration about the direction of the program and how the aims can move forward at a faster rate.

Perhaps they will also discuss the recent data that shows that many of these modifications are not working anyway, with a large percentage falling back into delinquency within 6 months. Probably not though. That’s a whole other can of worms.