2011 PHFA Annual Report - Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency

Saving Ed’s house is giving him
time to heal
Someone’s life can change in the blink of an eye. One day you can
be a successful executive in the prime of your career, seemingly
on top of the world. And the next, an unexpected, terrible
mishap can take away everything for which you’ve worked so hard.
That’s what happened to Ed Shurman Jr. six years ago following a tragic motorcycle accident.
Ed survived, but his life would be changed forever. The Marine veteran, once so physically
strong, was now as weak as a child. Much of his memory was gone. The knowledge gained
from two master’s degrees couldn’t be remembered.
Six years later, he’s continuing to recover, due in large part to his positive attitude and his
undeniable persistence. His diet is aimed at helping him recover both muscle strength and
brain power. He bicycles more than four miles every day – with his dog Spirit – to regain
his balance and coordination. And he reads continually to regain the knowledge he’s forgotten.
The prognosis is for continuing improvement.
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While Ed never gave up on himself, he still faces challenges. One was the mortgage on his
home in Bloomsburg. Ed was falling behind on his monthly payments. His savings were
exhausted and his disability income just wasn’t enough to make ends meet. As he says, he
felt doomed.
“I was extremely worried and wasn’t sleeping well. You can’t imagine what it was like,”
Ed recalls.
Today, Ed has been given more time to continue his ongoing recovery. PHFA’s Homeowners’
Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (HEMAP) has brought his mortgage current and
is helping with his monthly payments. Now he can focus on his exercise, his reading, and
his other activities to help him get stronger in mind and body. And he can stay in his home
while he recuperates, eliminating that debilitating worry.
When Ed was running out of options, PHFA’s HEMAP gave him continued hope,
which he very much appreciates.
“You folks at PHFA are a blessing. I thank you.”
Pennsylvania was a pioneer when it established
the Homeowners’ Emergency Mortgage
Assistance Program (HEMAP) in 1983 to help
families in danger of losing their homes during
hard times. HEMAP, which has been a model for
other states and the nation, not only keeps families
in their homes, but it also helps neighborhoods by
stabilizing home values. This year, a total of 2,800
applicants were approved for HEMAP loans with
a total value of $28.9 million. Ed Shurman Jr.
is one of the homeowners who was helped.