Saving Alice Smith's Home

Alice M. Smith is 68 years old and is both mentally and physically disabled due to childhood polio.  Although wheelchair bound, she currently lives independently in her family home, with the assistance and care of volunteers, family and neighborhood friends.  Her sole income is from Social Security and her father's pension totaling a meager $17,150 annually.  Despite this meager income, she has made do by living in a house with no mortgage payments, and with the support of various people in her life.  Unfortunately, her inability to pay the astronomically high real estate property taxes, which for Alice amounts to $8,500 per year, has led to foreclosure being initiated on her home.  Alice could have her home taken from her in the coming months.

Alice’s parents moved to Haddonfield, New Jersey in 1949.  Alice contracted polio as an infant and was left with both physical and mental handicaps as a result of high fevers and other devastating effects of polio.  During her school age years, Alice attended special education classes.  Alice loves the town of Haddonfield.  As a young woman with disabilities, Alice still regularly attended mass at Christ the King Church, and would frequent local community events, such as Haddonfield's 4th of July and Memorial Day parades.  Despite her physical limitations, Alice even volunteered to work at a home for the elderly.  There, she enjoyed talking to the residents and listening to their stories.

In later years, her father passed away and her mother became blind due to macular degeneration.  Alice then became her mother’s caretaker, as well as her eyes.  Alice would read the content of incoming mail and make out checks at her mother’s direction.  Alice could also cook, maintain the house, and ensured that her mother took her required medication as directed.

The degenerative effects of polio and other illnesses Alice has endured over the years have now left her wheelchair bound.  She was deemed by the state of New Jersey to be 100% both physically and mentally disabled.  She lives in the only home that she has ever known for over 60 years in Haddonfield.  She is fiercely proud of being able to live independently with only limited daily assistance.  Her firmest wish is to live in her family home until she dies.  Despite having handicaps that would daunt or overwhelm most people, Alice maintains a cheerful and optimistic outlook.

As her parents grew older, they wanted to ensure that Alice would be able to remain in the only home that she had ever known.  Both parents placed in their wills the written directive that their daughter remain in the home permanently.  They placed the Haddonfield home into an estate trust for Alice’s benefit, and set aside modest savings to cover future expenses on the home.  Since the mortgage on the home was fully paid, they believed the only expenses she would encounter would be modest property taxes, medical expenses, and usual food and utility expenses.  Alice has a very small monthly income from Social Security and the Office of Personnel management at the dependent child rate, since she was disabled since birth and could never work.  Initially, that amount was fully adequate to cover her needs.

Unfortunately, in the years since her father and mother passed away, New Jersey real estate property taxes have exploded and are now the highest property taxes of any state.  Despite living in a home with no mortgage, the limited funds left for Alice have been consumed over the years in paying property taxes, property maintenance expenses, and medical expenses.  New Jersey now imposes on Alice an incredible property tax of over $8,500 annually which is impossible for her to pay, given her total annual income of only $17,150.

Alice recently received a notice of intent to foreclose unless back taxes are paid.  Appeals have been made to the Mayor’s office in Haddonfield and to the Governor’s office in Trenton, and their responses have acknowledged that her situation is unfortunate, yet confirm that there are no local or state programs to assist disabled people to keep their homes in circumstances such as these.  Nor does New Jersey exempt those fully disabled such as her with minimal income from real estate property tax.

To remedy the situation in view of negative responses to appeals to the state, a reverse mortgage has been pre-approved to prevent the house from going into foreclosure.  Securing the reverse mortgage would establish an escrow account with enough funds to pay back taxes owed, as well as pay future property taxes and home owners insurance for the rest of Alice’s life and thus fulfill her parents’ wish that she remain in the house.

Unfortunately, in order for the reverse mortgage to be fully approved and processed, certain HUD-mandated repairs to the home and other costs associated with Alice’s particular situation must be covered, resulting in a shortfall of $14,500.  

Alice, her family, the volunteers who assist her with her day to day care in the house, and her neighbors are seeking donations to cover the $14,500 shortfall needed to secure the reverse mortgage.  We have reached out to civic and religious organizations such as United Way, the Lions and Rotary Clubs, local churches; the Diocese of Camden and Catholic Charities of Camden County, to no avail so far.

In this New Year, the most significant present that Alice could receive is that she can continue to remain in her home.  Donations of any size would be greatly appreciated and would help her to keep her home.  If you are unable to donate, please pass this message on to someone else you know who may.  Besides assisting Alice, people donating can take comfort that, as they start the New Year, they have provided a tremendous gift to someone in great need.

"Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, benevolence, were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!" -Charles Dickens, “A Christmas Carol”