AN ELDERLY man with epilepsy came home from the hospital to find himself evicted from his rental property.
Donald Hargrove, 70, who occasionally suffers from seizures and has to be admitted into the hospital, came home to an unsettling discovery after a visit.
After coming home from a hospital visit in late June, Hargrove found his belongings scattered on the street, an eviction notice on the door, and $750 missing from a drawer within his stuff.
Hargrove, who had been receiving treatment at Atrium Health Navicent from 6:30 a.m. until later that afternoon, was devastated to see his furniture and personal items piled outside his West Macon home in Georgia.
“When I turned the corner, I could see my furniture sitting on the street,” Hargrove recounted to local CBS affiliate WMAZ-TV.
Hargrove was living in Section 8 affordable housing, and knew he needed to move out soon.
He had been diligently saving money for the move, and figured the money he saved plus a future social security check he was expecting would be enough to comfortably make the transition.
However, his plans were thwarted when he discovered that $750 in cash, which he had stored in a drawer, was missing from his belongings.
“Now I can’t move because they stole my money out of one of the drawers I had in the house, so that left me in bad shape,” Hargrove said, his voice tinged with frustration and desperation.
His next Social Security check, which arrived July 3, leaves Hargrove stuck in a precarious position, unable to afford a new place to stay.
Despite explaining his situation to the property manager, Real Property Management Vesta, he was met with indifference.
“I tried to tell [the property manager], and they said we can’t help you,” Hargrove explained.
With no immediate solution, shelter or any assistance, Hargrove has resorted to sleeping outside his old home on the furniture tossed outside.
Hargrove said he doesn’t have anywhere to go, and he doesn’t want to leave his things unattended, so he sleeps outside as his way of guarding it every night and having some form of shelter, even if not much.
One hurdle for the elderly Hargrove, is worrying about thieves picking on an easy target.
Hargrove says he is determined to guard his remaining possessions against any potential theft.
“I don’t want nobody to steal my stuff that they haven’t already taken, so I try to protect myself,” he said, determined to safeguard what little he has left.
In response to Hargrove’s story gaining attention, the Macon Housing Authority is now investigating his eviction.
As of now, Hargrove’s situation situation remains unchanged.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Real Property Management Vesta for comment.
What it means for a home to be put in foreclosure
Foreclosures can happen when lenders take control of a property after borrowers have failed to make their repayments.
Homeowners or borrowers will receive a Notice of Default by their lender triggering the foreclosure process.
Those in HOA communities can also see their homes foreclosed by their HOA for falling behind on fees, meaning that even if you keep up on mortgage payments, you can still lose your home.
Before foreclosure, a HOA will put a lien on your property which then allows them to auction it to reclaim unpaid funds.
The sale price of the property can often be much less than it’s worth as it only needs to be enough to cover the debts to the HOA or lender and is sold via auction to the highest bidder.