UPDATE: Washington Convention and Sports Authority Director of Communications Teri Washington tells DCist that the line has disappeared, and everyone looking for counseling has made it inside the Convention Center.

Wondering what that big line around the Convention Center is for? We were too. Turns out that people have been queuing up outside the building since yesterday morning, documentation in hand, in order to get help with renegotiating and understanding their home loans.

The Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America, a housing advocacy group, is holding a free, 24-hour mass-counseling session at the Convention Center for the next seven days. The event opened this morning at 9 a.m. and ends on July 30. NACA workers will offer assistance to homeowners with refinancing and budget preparation. Reports like this one from the Washington Post show that people are really hoping that NACA can help them deal with their banks, some even traveling long distances to get some assistance in D.C.

Those in line had harsh words for their banks. Nadia Morales and her husband traveled from Miami, taking their places near the front of the line Thursday at about 8:30 a.m. Morales said the couple had filed paperwork for a loan modification with CitiGroup eight times, with no response.

“They lie,” Morales said of the bankers. If things go as expected inside the convention center, she added, she and her husband hope to have a new deal within a month.

Many in line described the neighborhood assistance group in almost hallowed terms.

“The only option I have is NACA,” said Anteneh Dhaba, 41, a mechanic from Silver Spring.

We’d expect the lines to subside at some point, but as of this posting, there’s still plenty of people waiting in the growing heat to talk to a NACA counselor.