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Six-Year Foreclosure Court Battle Finally Ends, Thanks to GLCU Foundation Housing Counselor’s Tenacity
CommunityNovember 27, 2023
In 2017, Pablo was behind on his mortgage due to a variety of factors: His ex-wife was supposed to be paying the mortgage, but wasn’t, his divorce was very expensive, and he had a sick child. On top of that, he lost income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pablo’s home ended up in foreclosure court, and despite doing everything he could for several years to get caught up, at a certain point, his payments were no longer being accepted.
Pablo began working with a housing counseling agency that helped him apply for The Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) grant, which would pay for the amount past due and three future months of mortgage payments. Pablo was approved, but the investor on his mortgage loan wouldn’t accept the grant money. As a result, his HAF application was denied in September of 2022.
In February of 2023, the judge in Pablo’s foreclosure court case referred him to the Cook County Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program, which referred him to GLCU Foundation for Financial Empowerment. That’s when GLCU Foundation Housing and Financial Counselor Jeannine Folan first began working with Pablo. After a careful review of his situation, she realized he’d be able to make his monthly payments moving forward. However, Pablo still needed to pay the past due mortgage payments. With attorney fees included, his past due amount was over $35,000.
Jeannine didn’t think it made any sense for the investor to refuse Pablo’s HAF grant money. So, after two months of reaching out to various agencies to no avail, her tenacity was at an all-time high. In May, Jeannine was able to get an attorney from Chicago Volunteer Legal Services to have a consultation with Pablo.
On that same day, Jeannine made one last “Hail Mary” phone call to the investor and left a message. One day after the consultation with the attorney, the investor returned Jeannine's call and agreed to accept the HAF grant funds with some minor changes to the mortgage payment. Jeannine told Pablo the good news, and they reapplied for the HAF grant. The application was approved, and Pablo’s past due amount and three future payments were made to the servicer on June 26, finally dismissing the six-year-long court case! With the court case no longer hanging over Pablo’s head, he and his family have secured housing stability once more.
Overjoyed that the six-year battle is finally over, Pablo is thankful for the GLCU Foundation, saying, “It gives me great peace in my soul, including physical, mental, and emotional relief, as I now have safety and security for my family.” He gives a special thanks to Jeannine, adding, “Jeannine encouraged me and gave me hope to keep going on this journey. She went the extra mile and didn’t give up even though finding a solution was tough. I want to thank God, the GLCU Foundation, and Jeannine for helping me and others to continue to find peace, safety, and security.”
Click here to learn more about GLCU’s financial and housing counseling services.