Holding Onto a Home

In August 2023, Cynthia M.’s ex-husband passed away after a sudden stroke. Before his death, Cynthia was a full-time nurse and a caregiver for their 33-year-old daughter with autism, while her 34-year-old son, who also has autism, was living with her ex-husband. Within a month after her ex-husband’s death, she retired from her job and moved herself and her daughter into his home in Fairlawn, New Jersey, so that she could care for her son and sort through the estate. At the same time, she had to pay a family member’s medical bills. In the six-month timespan before her ex-husband’s Social Security death benefits kicked in, Cynthia fell behind on the mortgage. With no income and her savings depleted, she couldn’t catch up. Foreclosure loomed.

Reflecting on being in foreclosure, Cynthia notes, “People tend to put this stuff on the back burner until it gets bad. Then an eviction notice smacks them in the face.” She advises, “Don’t live in denial and don’t focus on how and why it happened. Focus on damage control. You can’t do this on your own — and shouldn’t. If you open your eyes and look, there are places that can help.”

When Cynthia realized that she was seriously in arrears on the mortgage, she sought help and found BlueHub SUN through the Department of Veterans Affairs. “I wanted to honor my ex-husband’s memory; he worked so hard to hold on to this home.” She partnered with the SUN team to refinance her delinquent loan into a new mortgage that she could afford. At the same time, she was hired by Easter Seals and Public Partnerships as her children’s paid caregiver. “Finally, our government benefits stabilized, too, and we are now able to make our new budget work with our new mortgage. It will bring our credit up and help us with stability.” She continues, “I’m so grateful that if you are honest and intend to make good decisions, the people at SUN are willing to help you keep your home.”

For Brenda A., 2023 was also the year everything was upended.

Her sister, who is blind, became seriously ill and needed long-term care; when other options fell through, her sister moved into Brenda’s Temple Hills, Maryland, home.

In July 2023, while managing her own health issues and bearing the sudden financial and emotional burden of becoming her sister’s full-time caregiver, Brenda missed a mortgage payment for the first time in more than 30 years of homeownership.

She immediately contacted her lender to ask for a solution, but her balloon mortgage had reached maturity and required full repayment, a cost she couldn’t afford. Then, in November, her home was devastated by an electrical fire. She heard a loud explosion upstairs and her home filled with smoke. Brenda and her sister were displaced for nearly 17 months.

Like Cynthia, Brenda also immediately understood that she would need help navigating her situation.

She reached out to housing support programs, working through referrals, HUD contacts and nonprofit advocates. Eventually, she was connected to BlueHub SUN. With SUN’s help, she secured a new, affordable mortgage. In February 2025, Brenda returned to her fully-repaired home, now featuring brand-new walls, updated electrical systems, new doors and outlets and restored safety — a fresh start in the place she’s always loved.

Brenda credits her resilience to her faith, patience and the support of her community. She lost her sister in February 2025, just before returning home, but carried forward with strength. Her advice to others facing foreclosure: “Stay calm, ask for help and don’t lose hope. Better days will come.”