"When I arrived the situation was extremely volatile," said Appline. "Homeowners were crying in the street. Moving trucks were everywhere and movers were hurriedly throwing belongings into trucks without any concerns for valuable and precious memories."

Cheryl spent the night, the rest of the weekend, and much of the next four weeks with these distressed homeowners, providing comfort, and literally holding their hands as they were relocated to nearby hotels or homes of family members.

Cheryl’s contribution went far beyond hand-holding, however. As a former real estate appraiser, Cheryl was able to determine for the Bud Carter, Director of HUD’s Home Ownership Center (HOC), the estimated worth of the homes, a job that would have taken a housing staff person away from their job, wasting precious time and resources. Cheryl was the front-line representative for HUD, interfacing with the expertise of HUD’s Public Trust Officers in the HOC and with Legal Counsel to help community members through this challenge.

Within a week, working with the Deputy Mayor and the HOC Director, HUD was able to make a proposal to the City that involved payment of claims on three FHA insured mortgages, buying back two REO sales properties, and deeding all those properties to the City. The proposal would reduce the City's financial obligations and increase the speed with which the displaced homeowners could be compensated enabling them to get on with their lives more quickly, In addition, HUD made 12 HUD houses from its REO inventory in the area available for lease.

The city government and many elected officials were overwhelmed not only by HUD’s quick response, but also by HUD’s continued presence at the site. HUD is providing a level of emotional and financial support the city ;and its residents had never anticipated. Homeownership Center staff and Community Builders worked as "one-HUD," seamlessly providing families with the best that HUD has to offer.

"From the first day of this crisis, Ms. Appline personally visited the scene to provide support," said Philadelphia Deputy Mayor Kevin Feeley. "HUD has consistently provided assistance, support, and a wealth of information…I believe that Karen Miller (Secretary’s Representative for HUD’s Mid-Atlantic Region) and all those connected with this effort deserve recognition for their outstanding work…"

Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum agreed, thanking HUD for "the quick action the Department has brought to bear in response to the sinking homes" and bringing "welcomed news to some of the distressed homeowners who have endured great dislocation."

"I am very proud of how we handled ourselves in this situation," said Appline. "Not only was our HUD team expeditious in our endeavors, we were creative in our approach and kept in mind at all times that families were traumatized in this ordeal."

"This is the way the new HUD is supposed to work: competent people bringing different skills and roles to the table to accomplish a common end. It was fast, customer friendly, spread out the staff burden, and got the job done," said Karen Miller, Secretary’s Representative for HUD’s Mid-Atlantic Region summed up these efforts.