Newton Massachusetts Family Fights Foreclosure (video)
A Newton, Massachusetts mother is hoping the kindness of friends and strangers can help her keep her family home.
When Elinor Beatrice met her husband Jeff 20 years ago, they each had children from previous marriages, but they would spend the coming years expanding their family even more.
They raised 11 kids in the same house Jeff grew up in, a rambling Victorian on a leafy street in Newton.
“My husband was the heart of the home. It’s very quiet without him now,” she said.
Not even two weeks ago, Jeff Beatrice had a heartache in that same home. He died in Elinor’s arms. He was 49 years old.
“It’s hard to believe he’s gone. Every day gets a little harder,” Elinor said.
Harder still because Jeff was the breadwinner, a struggling self employed CPA whose financial woes spiraled after a bad real estate investment. The Beatrice’s had trouble making ends meet and after a few years, the mortgage got away from them.
“We’ve tried food stamps but, you know, we’ve always made just a little too much to qualify for any real assistance,” Elinor said.
Eventually, they were foreclosed upon and just days before Jeff died, the mortgage company let them know it would be auctioning off their house. The family did not get swindled or taken advantage of. They fell behind and now Elinor must figure things out, with seven kids still living at home — the youngest just five.
“It’s just an overwhelming thought. And where do you go with seven kids?” Elinor said.
Thankfully, she is not answering that question alone. For the past two decades, Jeff Beatrice has coached every youth sports team imaginable — from Newton Little League to girls basketball.
“You never knew who his kids were,” family friend Jim Byrne said. “It was all the same to Jeff.”
“Any kid that was in trouble, their family was struggling, they weren’t getting enough attention at home, those kids gravitated toward the Beatrice’s house,” family friend Diane Wilcox said.
When word got out that the Beatrice family needed help, hundreds of people stepped up to the plate. A memorial fund has been established, the high school hockey team gave up money from their yard sale, strangers have dropped off everything from gift cards to groceries.
“Even my eleven year old’s friend gave me $6 from her piggy bank, which is all she had, but she was willing to give to us,” Elinor said.
The house was supposed to be auctioned off November 5th, but strangers and politicians have gotten the family a 60 day extension. Sixty days to keep a house a home.
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