Elderly Woman's Home Stolen From Her

   Deborah Foss is a 66 year old grandmother that lives on small fixed income from social security. She recently lost her home, which was completely paid off with her life savings. She suffers from several medical conditions, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia, COPD, and neuropathy. Despite these issues, Deborah cared for her ailing mother for the last 10 years of her life. Deborah hoped her 2015 purchase of a home would help put her hardships behind her. After her mother died, she used money from the sale of her mother's house and her life savings to buy a $168,500 home in New Bedford.

 

   When Deborah could not pay part of her 2016 tax debt, a private company that specializes in buying property tax debts from the town, foreclosed on her property and took ownership. Deborah only owed about $9,000 in taxes, but the house was worth around $260,000. She tried to set up a payment plan to pay off the tax debt, but she was ignored. This company is known for taking people's homes in an aggressive manner, without the homeowners even realizing it. The company has had several lawsuits filed against them. This is ILLEGAL in most states and will hopefully become illegal in Massachusetts soon. But for Deborah, it's too late. Not only did this company take ownership of her home, they also evicted her Feb 1 in the wake of the worst snowstorm of the season, while she was suffering from a severe case of Covid. She was forced to stay in motel rooms while very ill. She is now out of funds and is currently living out of her car.

 

Deborah is in desperate need of a place to live. If you would like to help, any amount donated is greatly appreciated and will go toward housing for Deborah.

 

Thank you!

Here is a link to the Boston globe article regarding this matter.  ( In order to get past the subscription ad, just click on it and back out )

         https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/03/29/business/move-afoot-ban-home-equity-theft-massachusetts/