Through a hotline, Jamilla Savannah was referred to Affordable Housing Centers’ counselor, Fernando Leal. Fernando, pictured here at a foreclosure prevention event (use photo titled “AHCOPA’s Fernando Leal, housing counselor, at a DelCo outreach event”), took the time to figure out what was going on with Savannah’s account, discovering that the IRS had placed a lien on her house, which meant she couldn’t get the loan modification she needed to stay up to date on her mortgage payments.
“Without Fernando,” reflects Savannah, “I probably would have given up. I would have never had the information I needed to save my home if he wasn’t there to guide me through.”
The entire affair was long and stressful, taking about half a year to complete. Fernando was supportive throughout the entire process, calling Savannah back when she needed encouragement and support, even though he was very busy. Savannah stated, “He was just very matter of fact, saying we’re going to do this, don’t worry, I got you.”
In October 2021, Savannah successfully completed the loan modification process and was no longer on the trial payment. After the experience of saving her home, Savannah reflects that “you shouldn’t wait till last minute to ask for help when you’re in a situation because there are places out there that do provide help.”
