DESPERATE for financial and legal help, please Cheri and Ed

My husband and I are both disabled. After leaving an increasingely abusive marriage of almost 25 years, I was finally able to escape the marriage and was hopeful to begin my new life.  My ex husband was an abusive binge drinker and he also forged my signature on a joint day trading  account at HarrisDirect. He also lied on his income and asset form during our divorce # D03-03-004 in Contra Costa county Martinez, Ca.

I am still permanently disabled due to a medical treatment, but was not able to get any financial support from either my ex husband or adult son. I was awarded a dilapitated home in my divorce settlement, but no monthly income and no medical insurance. In other words, I had no money to fix it up. My boyfriend at the time (My husband now) helped me to borrow money to do the necessary repairs. The only loan we could get was from a Predatory lender, since we are both disabled and had very little income and are currently living off one disability pension. My husband is a disabled veteran. Our address is 33088 West Shore Drive, Mount Vernon, Wa. 98274. Our phone number is (360) 422-5849. When I contacted our local HUD office, I was told that we made just over the income limit to be eligible for a grant or a low income home repair loan. Unfortunely all the money we have goes to pay the mortgage and buy food.

We got $70,000. from the predatory lender. We hired a licensed and bonded contractor and were hoping to get this home up to current standards and codes. Unfortunately that did not happen!  The contractor left our home almost completely "demolished". I will attach a few pictures. so you can see the condition of the home the way the contractor left it. The contractor did not even tell us he was leaving. When he realized that he had gotten all the money we had, he picked up his tools and we never saw him again. The contractor did not permit the job and none of the work he and his employees did was up to code standards.He left us with no kitchen,no bath and no running water. There were live wires hanging everywhere and plumbing pipes just cut and not hooked up to anything.

Due to the contractor's negligence, there is mold forming both inside and outside the house and my husband is getting sicker and sicker every day he lives in this house.

When I contacted our local HUD office, I was told that we made just over the income limit to be eligible for a grant or a low income home repair loan.  Unfortunely all the money we have goes to pay the mortgage and buy food. We cannot get a rehab loan from any lenders (even the predatory lenders).

We don't have any more funds to finish our house and we are living in a tent inside the main living area because the contractor took out the electric wall heaters. We are using the oven and space heaters to try to heat the home and now we can't afford to pay the electrical bill. We also have mounting medical and other bills we can;t afford to pay. we can't hind any construction and/or financial help in Mount Vernon, Wa.

We need to make our home, livable and safe. The contractor basically left ever room he touched in a "demolition state" . The "not so honest" contractor basically left us to live in death trap. The electrical panel is appalling and not up to code. There isn't a sewer vent to the outside of the house.

To whom this may concern,

I have tried to contact HUD, but I am told we are "over income" by their guidelines. My husband is a disabled veteran who will need to have major surgery very soon. I am also disabled from a medical treatment , but still pending a social security hearing and have no income at this time.

This the way we live now, in a tent, in the house.

I think this whole ordeal began because we got married and that made us "over income" by HUD and other government standards. We can't make it much longer. Our credit cards are mounting rapidly just trying to keep this place, buy food and attempting to pay the bills.

My husband now (boyfriend then) hired a licensed and bonded contractor, since I was awarded this home from a divorce settlement and then found out the foundation was caving in and the fireplace was unusable. We have heard that after Washington state Labor and Industries suspended his license in mid December 2004 after several members of L & I and a person from the Mount Vernon permit center came to our home to see the horrible condition the contractor us to live in.

The contractor left our home in a "demolition state" without a kitchen, bath or even running water. We are currnetly living in a tent in the main living area since the contractor took the wallheaters out. The dishonest "con" tractor lost his contractor license mid December 2004 from Washington Labor  & Industries and  is on the run.

We can't get financing to do the desperately needed repairs to make our home safe and up to current codes, since the house is not finished and we don't have enough income. We are the victims of a horrendeous crime yet we can't get any help from anyone.

The contractor did not get any building permits nor did he build anything up to current standards, most of the materials were used or substandard. The roof is not structurally sound and the electrical and plumbing, is not up to code and poses a risk to us as occupants. If we can't live here or get any help from someone, we will be homeless and disabled.

I feel that we are "falling between the cracks" of a system that is supposed to help people during their time of need. I am at the point almost giving up, since we cannot get help from any government agency. Is there anyone in our local building industry or housing agency who can help us? We either live here or we are homeless!

Cheri and Ed Foote
Mount Vernon, Washington
U.S.A.