Meet Joanne Kwarta, MetroWest Legal Services
In 2002, after nearly 40 years as a school teacher, principal and administrator, Joanne Kwarta of Wayland accepted an offer of early retirement. The offer seemed like a godsend at the time. Her elderly father, who lived in Buffalo, was dying, and her mother was also ill. At 62 years old, she could no longer handle the strain of caring for her parents and holding a full-time job.
After several months, though, Joanne began to realize that her judgment had been clouded by her emotional state, and that accepting the retirement offer had been a disastrous move financially. Her income was half of what it had been, and she could no longer keep up with her expenses. She was barely managing to pay the mortgage on her small home, and was falling further and further behind on a $12,000 home equity loan. Still, she convinced herself she could make it work.
But in September 2007, the bank that held the home equity line foreclosed on the house. With a foreclosure auction only a week away, Joanne finally reached out for help. The local Council on Aging referred her to MetroWest Legal Services.
MWLS moved quickly to stop the foreclosure. They helped Joanne collect the necessary documentation and file for bankruptcy. The bankruptcy stopped the auction and gave Joanne time to reorganize. "Legal services was amazing," she says.
Since her income was too low to afford to stay in the house long term, the bankruptcy plan included a provision that Joanne would sell the house and move elsewhere. But things started looking up. Joanne had found a part-time retail job and her hours were increasing. Then she found a roommate. She had worked out a budget with the help of a friendly neighbor and gotten on top of her finances. MWLS returned with her to court and got the bankruptcy order amended to one that allowed Joanne to stay in her home.
But MWLS’s work wasn’t done. The monthly payments on Joanne’s main mortgage soon ballooned from $1500 to over $2000 per month. MWLS helped her apply for a loan modification. When the modification was improperly denied, they filed a consumer protection complaint on her behalf and had the decision reversed.
Today Joanne is happily living with her roommate in her home of 27 years. Looking back, she says, "I can hardly believe this happened to me. Talk about saving your life!"
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