Community Helps Hazeldines Delay Eviction to July; Donations Needed to Keep Family in Foxborough

For months the community has rallied behind John and Julienne Hazeldine to help the longtime Foxborough residents fend off several eviction notices and finally buy back their 27 Spring St. home from Direct Federal Credit Union (DFCU) after the bank purchased the property in foreclosure last September.

That collective fight brought good news to the Hazeldines this week just days after the local couple was served eviction papers ordering they vacate the property by Wednesday morning.

Notified of the Hazeldines’ latest hurdle in their fight to keep their home, the local community Facebook group, “Save John and Julienne Hazeldine from Home Eviction” rallied together against DFCU with phone calls and e-mails to the bank demanding it stop threatening eviction to the Hazeldines and continue to negotiate with the family to sell them back their home.

The group also gathered 113 signatures for an online petition in just 24 hours demanding DFCU “stop the Hazeldine eviction.”

Those appeals have reportedly helped the Hazeldines delay eviction (again) to July 16th  following a meeting Monday between the legal principals – Hazeldine’s lawyer, the Attorney General’s Office, DFCU and Boston Community Capital (the Hazeldines’ potential mortgage lender) ­– according to Foxborough resident Bill Milhomme, who posted the following message on the “Save John and Julienne Hazeldine from Home Eviction” Facebook page.

“Good News!” Milhomme wrote. “Your prayers, telephone calls, e-mails and the recent online petition demanding, " Direct Federal Credit Union 'Stop the Hazeldine Eviction' (113 signatures in 24 hours, Awesome!), has resulted in an extension to July 16th. Now this might seem like more of the same, but the legal principals are negotiating ... and there seems to be a serious attempt to settle this matter with John and Julienne remaining in THEIR home.”

Milhomme added while the community efforts have been incredible to date, more still needs to be done if John and Julie Hazeldine are to keep their home.

Milhomme shared an e-mail he recently received from an attorney involved in the negotiations sent him to underline the “reality of the situation” facing the Hazeldines.

In the e-mail, the attorney tells Milhomme more donations are needed to help the Hazeldines buy back their home.

“Another $5,000 to $10,000 might make all the difference in the world at this point and there is no doubt that if the Hazeldines are going to keep the home it is going to require a significant amount of donated labor to make the needed repairs (even if another $5,000 to $10,000 were to be raised),” the lawyer told Milhomme via e-mail.

As a result, Milhomme is asking the Foxborough community to help the Hazeldines get their house back by donating what you can and – perhaps more importantly – spread the word about the Hazeldines’ situation, which can be read in more detail by clicking here.

“I am not asking for additional donations from those who have given, but I am asking your assistance to spread the word to those who may not have heard of the Hazeldines’ situation,” Milhomme said.  

Help the Hazeldines Get Their Home Back

The community support for the Hazeldines has been overwhelming as donations to a local fund established for John and Julie has exceeded over $43,000 and volunteers have offered their expertise and services to help renovate Hazeldine’s home, but more is needed.

“The entire community has been volunteering money and time to help them save their house,” Foxborough resident Shannon Sylvia said in a recent letter to DFCU. “As a community, many volunteers have been spending countless hours making phone calls and sifting through paperwork. Many volunteers have been correcting issues that are now required to purchase back the house.”

John Hazeldine has been overwhelmed by the support.

“It’s blowing me and my wife away,” John Hazeldine said. “It’s unbelievable. … Without a doubt, God is still inside everyone and His will is being fulfilled again and always, forever.”

To help John and Julie Hazeldine buy back their house, you can donate money to the John & Julienne Fund C/O P.O. Box 729, Foxboro, MA 02035. Checks can be made out to the John & Julienne Fund.

You can also reach out to the "Save John and Julienne Hazeldine From Home Eviction" Facebook group by clicking here.

About John and Julienne Hazeldine

John Hazeldine has lived at his 27 Spring St. home in Foxborough for over 60 years. He served as the town's Animal Control Officer before suffering two strokes in 2008 and undergoing hip replacement last year.

As a result, John walks with a limp in his right leg and his right arm is paralyzed. Out of work, he and his wife, Julie, who works full-time for an electrical manufacturer, could not afford the house payments on her salary alone.