In an opinion piece published by The Boston Globe, BlueHub SUN homeowner and housing advocate Rose Webster-Smith highlights how vital the SUN program is to residents of Massachusetts.
"When the Great Recession struck in 2008, like so many working families in Massachusetts and around the country, my family was hit hard. My husband, who was a truck driver, went from working 56 hours a week to 40 hours with no chance for overtime. He went from bringing home $600 a week to just $300 a week.
At the same time, we discovered that our home wasn’t worth the amount we bought it for — we were underwater — and we couldn’t keep up with the mortgage. Our bank refused to work with us and ultimately foreclosed in October 2011. My husband and I decided that day we were going to stay and fight — that we deserved to be in our home. And then we learned about BlueHub SUN."
Webster-Smith now runs Springfield No One Leaves, an advocacy organization that helps residents avoid foreclosure and defends against displacement. She refers homeowners facing foreclosure to SUN because she believes it's a reputable, mission-driven mortgage lender that is working to stabilize families and neighborhoods.
BlueHub SUN refinances or buys homes in foreclosure and sells them back to their original homeowners with mortgages they can afford. Webster-Smith explains:
"What makes this program effective and unique is that when a homeowner is underwater, SUN negotiates with the foreclosing lender to buy the home at the distressed market value. Then, SUN sells the home back to the homeowner at a price lower than their previous mortgage, allowing them to start earning equity on day one.
Those SUN homeowners who get a discount on their new mortgage also have a shared appreciation mortgage. A SAM is a second mortgage the homeowner pays when they decide to sell or refinance out of the program, and they owe it only if the home increases in value; this allows for equity and fairness among neighbors. The SAM program was explained to us very clearly and disclosed multiple times throughout the months-long closing process. Without SAM, banks refused to sell the foreclosed homes to BlueHub."
Language preserving the SUN program is included in legislation recently passed by the Massachusetts legislature in its economic development bill. Webster-Smith urges Governor Maura Healey to sign the legislation so SUN can continue offering meaningful foreclosure relief services to families like hers.
"Since that dark day in 2011, I have not only been able to stay in my home and build equity but I have also fought to help other families in Springfield facing similar challenges and continue to use BlueHub SUN as a resource. And, most important, I know that it’s my house again and the sheriff isn’t coming to evict my family."