Paul Shackleford fights his growing bills from the seat of a wheelchair. But it has not contained his kindness.
He surrounds himself with abused dogs he has adopted from the Humane Society.
"A little tender loving care brings them around," said Shackleford. One of the dogs he adopted, Red, was born without cartilage in his back right leg.
"We were in the same cage. I thought he would never walk like me," he said. But last month, Red just trotted in, busted leg and all.
Shackleford does not hope to walk again, but he could use a miracle of his own.
Eleven years ago, Shackleford, 55, took out a single family housing loan with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Housing Development for $38,000. For years, he says, he has faithfully paid his monthly bill.
At the end of last year he filed for bankruptcy, and on the advice of an attorney he withheld payments for four months, said Shackleford.
He called Rural Development headquarters in St Louis and told them he was finishing a bankruptcy at the time, and would continue payments when it cleared. At the beginning of the year, Shackleford started payments again, paying for January and February.
On Tuesday, April 5, he called St. Louis again to tell them he was sending them payment for March and April. Shackleford says the agent told him that would not be necessary, his account had been accelerated and was in the process of being foreclosed.
The agent went on to inform him he had 90 days to pay $2,049 in full or he would be evicted.
It came as a terrible surprise. For months, Shackleford says, his neighbors in Eastover Heights had come to him with their own stories of eviction because of Rural Development loans.
Shackleford is on fixed income like most Rural Development loan holders. But he has also faced several illnesses that have ultimately crippled him.
When he was 2, Shackleford had polio and a high fever. The fever scorched his brain and after that, he had to contend with a slower mental capacity, said Shackleford.
In 1993, he had a relapse of polio that hindered his walking. He didn't like using a wheelchair, so he would lean on a chair to scoot around the house.
In 2002, he was crossing the kitchen when he slipped and fell, the back of his neck landing on an open oven door. Shackleford broke his neck in five places. He could no longer walk, and he had lost movement in his right arm.
Shackleford listed these ailments, and cited all the medication he was on, he said. But the agent was adamant. It was a matter of policy to discontinue services.
Earl Pittman has been working with the USDA for 28 years. As inventory property specialist, he handles foreclosures at the Rural Development state office in Jackson
Pittman said there are many services given to loan recipients before a foreclosure is issued. Because Shackleford is sick, he could have requested a moratorium, a temporary hold on his payments. These can be good for a year or more.
In most cases, notices are mailed to warn the resident of the impending foreclosure. Rural Development also sends letters explaining the loan holder's rights and the services available.
Shackleford is certain he received no warning in the mail.
"We do not actively seek a foreclosure. That's the last thing we want to do. We make sure every option is taken before a foreclosure happens," said Pittman.
After a loan holder has been duly warned, the case is accelerated and set for foreclosure. Once a case is accelerated, all services are forfeited. The only option Shackleford has is to make the account current by paying $2,049 in 90 days or selling his house.
The amount Shackleford owes cannot be broken down, says Pittman, because of privacy issues, but he owes more than four months of payments. There are other fees that add up as time goes on. For example, a title opinion from an attorney and taxes are included in the payment.
Pittman concedes not every case is perfect, and there might have been an error. But, "every case in Mississippi lands on my desk at one point or another. If it's not done right it won't get past my desk. It will be reviewed thoroughly and reviewed right."
In the meantime, Shackleford is at a loss for what to do. His wife of 25 years, Opal, does not want to move. "I tear up every time I think of leaving my house," she said.
"I'm not asking for money or sympathy. I'm asking for advice. I have no other options right now," said Shackleford.
