U
PPER DARBY, Pa. - Gloria Gaynor's life has been a testament to the American Dream. Now, at 91 and struggling with dementia, she faces losing everything due to $3,500 in overdue taxes.

    Gaynor is confined to a hospital bed in her Upper Darby home, which she owned for nearly 25 years. The house is filled with family photos and mementos, but the new owners want her out by July. County records show a Lancaster-based real estate firm bought the tax lien for $14,419 in September 2022.

    "This is stripping generational wealth from the have-nots and allowing the haves to have it," said Alexander Barth, Gaynor's attorney. "The company did nothing illegal, but it's unfair."

    Gaynor came to the United States with her two young children in the late 1960s, settling in the Philadelphia area. She worked hard as a house cleaner and caregiver at a local nursing home to provide for her family.

    After decades of renting, Gaynor purchased her home on Wayne Avenue in Upper Darby for $123,000 in 2000. She has since paid off nearly all of her mortgage. Her daughter, Jackie Davis, said Gaynor was planning to leave the home to her grandson, providing a foundation for him to build on her successes.

    However, Gaynor's cognitive abilities declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, and she skipped her annual trip to the tax office in 2020. When the government restarted collection efforts, Gaynor went to the county tax office and made a payment, intending to cover her previous year's taxes. Instead, the money was applied to her 2021 taxes, leaving an outstanding balance.

    The Delaware County Tax Claim Bureau followed state law, issuing multiple notifications before selling the property. However, mailed notifications aren't always effective for vulnerable homeowners like Gaynor.

    Experts argue that safeguards need to be put in place to prevent the elderly and other vulnerable homeowners from losing their assets. "I agree if you don't pay your taxes, there has to be some consequences," said John Rao, a senior attorney with the National Consumer Law Center. "But the question is just how much do you have as a penalty?"

    The U.S. Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional for local governments to keep surplus money generated from tax lien foreclosures in 2023. This ruling has led policymakers to rethink tax sale laws.

    In New Jersey, state legislators changed the law to allow homeowners to request a sale of their actual property, rather than just the lien on their taxes. Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering a bill that would prevent tax-defaulted homes from going up for sale in the first place.

    For Gaynor and her family, it may be too late. "This is our legacy," said Davis. "And here it is, it's gone."