Elderly Couple’s Belongings Left Out In Rain After Eviction

LAUDERHILL (CBSMiami) — James Walker, 78, stepped through the pieces of his life, a scattered mess of personal papers and photographs left behind after he and his wife were evicted from their home of more than 25 years on Thursday.

An elderly couple’s belongings were left out in the rain following an eviction from their home of 25 years. (Source: CBS4)

The eviction came even as Walker was at the courthouse, in a last ditch effort to stave off foreclosure.

“He called me and I told him, ‘I want you to wait because my wife is in there.’ She is in the bed. He went in there and they got my wife out of the bed,” Walker said of the eviction crew.

His wife, 80-year-old Susan Walker, a wheelchair-bound invalid, was hospitalized after the stress of the eviction. Times were good when she was a school bus driver and James drove a truck, but in retirement, their income plummeted to a pittance. They didn’t pay their mortgage for well over a year.

James said the foreclosure process was confusing and the mortgage company didn’t help.

“They never came out, never sent nobody out here personally to talk to me about anything,” Walker said.

The Walkers’ daughter managed to get some of their furniture in storage, but not until after it got rained on after being tossed at the edge of the road way. He is sleeping on a neighbors couch, for the moment, but next week?

“I’m trying to get some help. I would appreciate whatever assistance I can get because I need to get this situation straightened out,” Walker said.

James rode his bicycle Friday to see his wife in the hospital. He will be back to retrieve the family Bible, among items left on the front stoop.

James Walker, 78, walks through an empty home following an eviction in Lauderhill. (Source: CBS4)

The Ocwen mortgage servicing company, which handled the Walker’s loan, issued a statement Friday saying in part, “we made attempts to find a solution for their situation, including exploring various loss mitigation options” but were unable to reach a mutual agreement.

The company says it has amended 740,000 distressed mortgages and taken billions of dollars in losses in order to keep families in their homes.

Anyone who would like to help the Walkers, financially or through other efforts, can do so at www.neighbors4neighbors.org or by calling Neighbors4Neighbors at: (305) 597-4404.

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Elderly Couple’s Belongings Left Out In Rain After Eviction