Q.  Can anyone apply for help to Sammi Rae of Hope?

A.  No.  The families we serve are referred to us by other agencies which do not have the resources or the expertise to help as we do.

Q.  How do families of dying children get into a financial crisis in which they may lose their home?

A.  The families helped by Sammi Rae of Hope did not get into financial trouble due to careless mishandling of their money.  They are victims of circumstances.  Medical insurance doesn't cover all of the expenses of a catastrophic illness.  For example, experimental drugs and alternative treatments that often involve travel to faraway medical facilities usually are not covered.  Often, one parent must quit his or her job to stay at home and care for the dying child.  Plus, there arre extra expenses such as babysitting for the couple's other children when parents must take a dying child for treatment.  So, when it comes down to paying for a new drug or operation that might save the child, or paying the mortgage or rent, the parent chooses to try to save their child and a downward financial slide is begun.

Q.  So, does Sammi Rae of Hope simply pay off the family's mortgage?

A.  No.  What we do is negotiate with the lender or landlord for terms that will help the family get through the crisis.  A variety of options are possible, such as the waiver of late fees, delays in making payments, renegotiating the mortgage interest rate or adding missed payments to the end of the mortgage.  Typically, Sammi Rae of Hope does make some payment to the lender, but it is temporary help until the family gets through the crisis.

Q.  How much money is needed to help a typical family?

A.  On average, it costs $4,737 to keep a family's home from being foreclosed upon and sold at public auction.  However, in some instances a few hundred dollars was all that was needed.

Q.  But what if the family in crisis is renting?

A.  Sammi Rae of Hope negotiates terms with the landlords as well as mortgage lenders so that families in crisis can stay in their home.

Q.  Why is it so important for the family of a dying child to stay in their home?

A.  First and most important, the dying child needs a secure, familiar and loving environment where he or she can be cared for.  Second, a dying child in the family puts stress on siblings and parents alike and the well-being of the entire household is dependent on knowing that the home is secure.  What's more, dying children sometimes feel guilty that, even though it's no fault of their own, their illness is causing the family a great financial burden.  Dying children need to know that their family won't lose their home because of them.

Q.  What if the terminally ill person is a parent and not the child?

A.  Sammi Rae of Hope has recently expanded it's services to include families of dying parents, as well.  Again, everyone in the family benefits when the stress of losing the family home is relieved.

Q.  Who are the people who have been helped by Sammi Rae of Hope?

A.  Those who have been helped come from all socio-economic, racial and ethnic backgrounds.  The double tragedy of a terminally ill family member and the specter of losing the family home can happen to anyone.