A Pittsburgh woman’s emotional video plea is going viral as she tries to stop the state from selling her grandmother’s longtime home over unpaid nursing home bills.
In a heartbreaking Instagram video posted by @chaejalyn (Jalyn Chae), she sits outside the home that’s been in her family since the 1980s, explaining how it’s now under threat from what appears to be Pennsylvania’s estate recovery process—a program that allows the state to recover the cost of Medicaid-funded long-term care after a recipient passes away.
“I need your help and I need your help quick,” she says in the video. “Right now it is being sold by the state… This home is a staple to my family and I. It’s an asset that we have, and we’re losing it.”
According to Jalyn, her grandmother worked hard to buy and keep the home, which has now been confiscated due to unpaid nursing home expenses incurred by Jalyn’s aunt, who had been living in the house.
“I grew up here,” Jalyn says tearfully. “We’re losing everything, and I want to be able to save something to pass down in my family.”
She explains that a lockbox has already been placed on the door, and the family was given only a few hours in recent weeks to gather personal belongings.
“That’s over 40 years of memories. How can we go through that in a couple hours?” she pleads in the video.
Jalyn is now urgently asking for help from the public, community organizations, or legal professionals who may know of resources in Pittsburgh or Allegheny County that can stop or delay the sale of the home. She’s calling on anyone with knowledge about housing advocacy, Medicaid estate recovery, legal aid, or emergency funding to reach out.
“If you know of any Pittsburgh resources—please comment. I just want to save our family home,” she wrote in the caption.
As of now, it’s unclear whether the state has finalized the sale. But Jalyn’s video is striking a chord across social media, where many users are tagging local advocacy groups, real estate attorneys, and nonprofit housing organizations.
The Bigger Picture: Medicaid Estate Recovery
Situations like Jalyn’s are not rare. Under federal law, states are required to recover certain Medicaid costs from the estates of deceased recipients. In Pennsylvania, the Department of Human Services can place liens on homes to recoup long-term care costs, often resulting in the sale of family property unless exemptions or payment arrangements are made in time.
Advocates say many families are caught off guard by the estate recovery process—especially when financial documents are incomplete, legal counsel is unaffordable, or heirs are unaware of their options.
How to Help
Anyone with knowledge of legal aid clinics, property tax relief, emergency grants, or nonprofit organizations that help with estate issues in Pennsylvania is encouraged to reach out directly to Jalyn on Instagram: @chaejalyn.
For readers in the Pittsburgh area:
- Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network and Neighborhood Legal Services may be able to provide assistance for families facing estate recovery or foreclosure.
- ACTION-Housing, Just Mediation Pittsburgh, and United Way 2-1-1 may also offer emergency housing resources or referrals.
