We were not asking for a handout. We are asking to be allowed to pay our mortgage. We were not allowed to.
My name is Leann Ledford. My husband is a disabled Marine veteran — two deployments to Afghanistan, 90% TDIU disability rating, TBI, seizures, and PTSD. I'm a social worker, an MSW graduate student, and a 2022 Elizabeth Dole Foundation Caregiver Fellow. We have a young child, and three giant fluffy Great Pyrenees and a Bernese Mountain Dog. All they do is sleep and lay around like rugs, but the three cats, they're the ones who have all the crazy energy and antics. lol.
NPR published a national investigation into this crisis on April 2, 2026, featuring our family's story alongside thousands of others:
OUR STORY
After gaps in VA support left our family homeless the first time, we rebuilt. We went from homeless to homeowners in six months, 2019-2020, started building towards a small family farm and rescue, and were putting our lives back together.
On January 23, 2026, the VA foreclosed on our home in Spokane, Washington. We found out when someone showed up at our door with the notice.
WHAT HAPPENED
Our mortgage servicer, Freedom Mortgage, held our complete loss mitigation application for months without submitting it to the VA's system. They promised in writing to review us for the VA's relief program (VASP) — then marked every option "Not Reviewed" 19 days later. They offered us a loan modification at 7.25% on a 2.25% loan — nearly triple our rate and far above the regulatory cap.
We reported these violations to the VA in July 2025. The VA foreclosed anyway while our complaint sat unaddressed. Their own staff confirmed on a recorded call that our file was never submitted to VA's loss mitigation tracking system.
Our case has eight documented regulatory violations, an active VA Office of Inspector General investigation (Case #2026-16691), and congressional oversight from multiple offices. Freedom Mortgage has $130.3 million in cumulative federal penalties.
The VA now owns our home and has the legal authority to fix this. They haven't.
THIS IS NOT JUST US
We are one family in a nationwide crisis:
. Over 10,000 veteran families have already lost their homes since the VA canceled its relief program in May 2025
. 90,000+ VA borrowers are currently delinquent
. 160,000+ families total have been impacted
. Congress passed a fix eight months ago (H.R. 1815, signed July 30, 2025). The VA still hasn't implemented it.
WHAT WE NEED
We are fighting this on every front — congressional offices, federal investigators, journalists, legal advocates. But fighting takes resources we don't have. His disability compensation covers basic needs. I've been a full-time graduate student and our family's caregiver, case manager, all the titles.
This fundraiser helps cover:
. Legal and advocacy costs — navigating federal agencies, filing complaints, and consulting with attorneys requires resources we don't have
. Relocation — I left my job to focus on my health and go back to grad school for social work, and when the foreclosure hit, we lost that income and financial aid too. If we're forced out, we need first/last/deposit for a rental that will accept a young family with four large-breed dogs. We're hardworking, responsible, and we fix what breaks — but finding a private landlord who understands our situation takes time and money we don't have
. Basic living costs while we stabilize — groceries, gas, medical copays, our child's needs
. Case documentation and advocacy work
HOW TO FOLLOW OUR STORY
NPR Investigation (April 2, 2026):
Are you or someone you know affected?
We will post updates here as things develop.
If you can't donate, sharing this page and contacting your Representatives are the most powerful thing you can do. Every share reaches someone who might be able to help — whether that's an attorney, a journalist, a policymaker, or another family going through this.
Thank you for standing with all our veteran families.
— Leann and family