Demonstrators Stage Anti-Eviction Protest in Plainfield

A Joliet woman who lost her husband and her son to tragedies could soon lose her house too.

In a demonstration organized by the Chicago Anti-Eviction Campaign and the local chapter of Warehouse Workers for Justice, nearly 30 people stood in protest in front of the office on Lockport Street Monday morning, rallying in support of Loleta Barrow-Leggett.

The 46-year-old mother said she’s asking the bank to work with her to help her stay in the Meadowsledge Lane home she purchased with her husband, Charles, shortly after their son’s death in 2006.

“I want to see them work with me so I can keep my home,” said Barrow-Leggett, who fell on hard times after her husband was killed in a car accident in August 2008.

His death came two years after their son, Lance Cpl. Jordan Barrow, was gunned down by a fellow Marine in his home near Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The couple had purchased the home in part to be closer to his grave at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood.

Barrow-Leggett said she still lives in the Joliet home, now worth $100,000 less than its $222,000 purchase price, with her other sons, ages 16 and 17.

“It’s just me right now,” she said.

After her husband’s death, Barrow-Leggett said she initially struggled to find full-time work and approached Wells Fargo about lessening the burden of her $1,099 mortgage payment.

Now working full time as a cook on one of Joliet’s riverboat casinos, Barrow-Leggett said she's in a better position to make the payments. But now, she claims, her repeated attempts to come to a resolution with the bank have been denied, leaving her with two options: selling the home in a short sale, or relinquishing it to Wells Fargo in exchange for forgiving the remainder of her loan.

Neither option would allow her to remain in the home. If Barrow-Leggett declines to accept either alternative, the home is scheduled to be sold in a sheriff’s sale on June 6. The Joliet mom said the lender has refused to accept any additional payment.

“This has happened to with so many familys that say, ‘I’m willing to pay something,’” said Toussaint Losier of the Chicago Anti-Eviction Campaign. He said his organization works to help homeowners faced with the possibility of losing their homes.

Jason Menke, vice president of communications for Wells Fargo’s Wisconsin and Chicago region, said the lender is willing to work with homeowners to avoid foreclosure. He said Wells Fargo has worked to try to help find a solution for Barrow-Leggett.

"We have been working with Ms. Barrow-Leggett for more than two years in an effort to help her to remain in the home and completed a review as recently as last month, but have not been able to identify an option that works. We are reaching out to her again to determine if there is any opportunity to prevent a foreclosure sale," he said.

“I will say that whenever we work with a homeowner in the early stages of default or the beginning of delinquency, we typically have more success” helping them stay in their homes, Menke added.

“The longer a homeowner waits to contact us to find a solution, it can be very difficult to solve if there’s a significant arrears,” he said. “Sometimes, we’re just not able to get to affordability.”

The loss of a second income to death or divorce is often a big factor, Menke added.

“Sometimes despite our best efforts, with the loss of that second income, there’s no way we can find affordability,” he said. “We understand that many Americans and many people in Illinois are struggling.”

Menke said he was not aware of Monday’s protest in Plainfield. 

"We work hard to keep our customers in their homes when they encounter difficulties," he said. 

Menke urged Wells Fargo customers having mortgage difficulties to sign up to attend a free workshop June 14 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. The event, scheduled for 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., will give homeowners a chance to discuss their concerns with a Wells Fargo representative and learn whether they qualify for the government's Home Affordable Modification Program.

More information on the June 14 workshop is available by calling 1-800-405-8067 or visiting www.wfhmevents.com/leadingthewayhome.