After more than twenty years in their Queens home, Socorro and Rolando faced an unexpected crisis when their son became seriously ill. The medical bills quickly piled up beyond what insurance covered, and soon they fell behind on their home equity line of credit. What started as a manageable debt ballooned to nearly $100,000 with interest and late fees. Each attempt to get a loan modification on their own ended in denial, leaving them frustrated and fearful that the bank would never understand their hardship. When Socorro and Rolando met with us, they brought a stack of letters and bank notices they could no longer understand. We listened to their story, rebuilt their loan modification application from the ground up, and made sure their lender saw more than just the numbers. We supported communication with the lender with care and persistence. Just two months later, the lender approved a new, affordable loan modification payment plan. Socorro and Rolando kept the home where they raised their family, and the fear of losing the home they had worked so hard for was finally gone.