Foreclosures in Boston have dropped 61 percent since 2018, reaching a 17-year low, Mayor Marty Walsh announced Tuesday.Citywide, foreclosure executions were reduced from 103 in 2018 to 40 in 2019. At the height of the foreclosure crisis in 2008, the foreclosure executions in Boston numbered 1,215."I'm proud that through our work with homeowners, we have been able to reduce the number of foreclosures in Boston, and keep more families in their homes," Walsh said. "These results show that our programs and policies to prevent foreclosures and evictions are working. Housing stability is vital to ensuring Boston has strong neighborhoods and communities, and I want to thank the leadership and staff of the Boston Home Center and all of our provider partners who work so hard for Boston's homeowners every day."According to the year-end reporting, the number of foreclosures executed against owner-occupant homeowners was halved from 35 in 2018 to 17 in 2019. Of the 40 foreclosure executions in 2019, 17 were owner-occupant homeowners while the remaining 23 executions were on investor-owners. The Boston Home Center, a division of the Department of Neighborhood Development works with Boston homeowners at risk of foreclosure and funds foreclosure prevention programs at ABCD/Mattapan Family Services, ESAC, Urban Edge, and Nuestra Communidad. Last year, the Boston Home Center and its partners assisted 205 homeowners at risk of foreclosure or in need of a more sustainable housing situation, preserving more than 100 tenancies in multi-family homes. More than half of the homeowners assisted were seniors, and the average owner income was $40,300.