Community Conversation => Military Veterans Confab => Topic started by: Jessica_Rose on April 02, 2026, 08:46:36 AM Return to Full Version
Title: Veterans losing their homes in droves due to Trump policy: report
Post by: Jessica_Rose on April 02, 2026, 08:46:36 AM
Post by: Jessica_Rose on April 02, 2026, 08:46:36 AM
Veterans losing their homes in droves due to Trump policy: report
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/veterans-losing-their-homes-in-droves-due-to-trump-policy-report/ar-AA1ZZQoE?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=39a2948d70bf4063b4dda58038134f62&ei=62
Matthew Chapman (2 April 2026)
The Trump administration ignored warnings from policy experts when they changed a major policy at the Department of Veterans Affairs — and the result is a wave of foreclosures against veterans.
According to NPR, "More than 10,000 veterans lost their homes to foreclosure since May of last year, when the Trump administration shut down a key safety-net in the VA home loan program, according to the latest industry data. That is the highest pace of foreclosures for VA loans in a decade. Another 90,000 vets are heading towards foreclosure. This comes after a years-long debacle inside the VA has whiplashed thousands of vets between various enacted and cancelled programs and left many of them on the brink of losing their homes — often through no fault of their own."
One such family profiled by NPR included the family of Leann Ledford, whose husband is a former Marine carrying PTSD and a brain injury after fighting in Afghanistan and lives on disability because he is unable to work. Their mortgage lender told them a federal program would let them skip several months of mortgage payments to make needed, costly home repairs — but then due to the policy change, they were ordered to pay those skipped mortgage bills as a lump sum, which they couldn't do, ultimately leading to foreclosure.
The issue actually began under the Biden administration, when a pandemic relief program that allowed some veterans to skip mortgage payments was terminated, causing the bill to come due for thousands of people at once.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/veterans-losing-their-homes-in-droves-due-to-trump-policy-report/ar-AA1ZZQoE?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=39a2948d70bf4063b4dda58038134f62&ei=62
Matthew Chapman (2 April 2026)
The Trump administration ignored warnings from policy experts when they changed a major policy at the Department of Veterans Affairs — and the result is a wave of foreclosures against veterans.
According to NPR, "More than 10,000 veterans lost their homes to foreclosure since May of last year, when the Trump administration shut down a key safety-net in the VA home loan program, according to the latest industry data. That is the highest pace of foreclosures for VA loans in a decade. Another 90,000 vets are heading towards foreclosure. This comes after a years-long debacle inside the VA has whiplashed thousands of vets between various enacted and cancelled programs and left many of them on the brink of losing their homes — often through no fault of their own."
One such family profiled by NPR included the family of Leann Ledford, whose husband is a former Marine carrying PTSD and a brain injury after fighting in Afghanistan and lives on disability because he is unable to work. Their mortgage lender told them a federal program would let them skip several months of mortgage payments to make needed, costly home repairs — but then due to the policy change, they were ordered to pay those skipped mortgage bills as a lump sum, which they couldn't do, ultimately leading to foreclosure.
The issue actually began under the Biden administration, when a pandemic relief program that allowed some veterans to skip mortgage payments was terminated, causing the bill to come due for thousands of people at once.
Title: Re: Veterans losing their homes in droves due to Trump policy: report
Post by: Lori Dee on April 02, 2026, 10:01:04 AM
Post by: Lori Dee on April 02, 2026, 10:01:04 AM
The VA offers several refinancing options, including Housing Assistance for the severely disabled.
https://choose.va.gov/housing-assistance/mortgage-refinancing
The problem is that the VA is not proactive in getting help where it is needed. This is not negligence; they are simply unaware that a veteran is in trouble. They rely on the mortgage company to identify when a loan is behind in payment, and then the lender is to contact the veteran to inform them.
The problem is that everything is computerized. Automated statements, payment postings, and even late notice mailings. It is not until the payments are 90 days or more behind that someone actually looks at them. Even then, the loan is often just transferred to a Collections department or an outside collection agency. By then, it may be too little too late.
Being behind in mortgage payments affects your credit score, which in turn affects your ability to refinance. It is up to the veteran to reach out for help, but many do not even know that help is available.
https://choose.va.gov/housing-assistance/mortgage-refinancing
The problem is that the VA is not proactive in getting help where it is needed. This is not negligence; they are simply unaware that a veteran is in trouble. They rely on the mortgage company to identify when a loan is behind in payment, and then the lender is to contact the veteran to inform them.
The problem is that everything is computerized. Automated statements, payment postings, and even late notice mailings. It is not until the payments are 90 days or more behind that someone actually looks at them. Even then, the loan is often just transferred to a Collections department or an outside collection agency. By then, it may be too little too late.
Being behind in mortgage payments affects your credit score, which in turn affects your ability to refinance. It is up to the veteran to reach out for help, but many do not even know that help is available.