Desperate times often call for desperate measures … just ask Vicki Gehlert of Port St. Lucie, Fla.

She moved into the house pictured above with her two dogs after a divorce in 2002. Shortly thereafter, Vicki lost a full-time job that helped her satisfy the monthly expenses.

Long story short, she’s fallen behind on her mortgage payments as a result of the turmoil (South Florida hurricanes only exacerbated the situation) and she’s asking for assistance in the form of donations to “Save Sunshine’s House.”

To learn more about Vicki’s story and to donate a few dollars to help her avoid foreclosure visit her Web site whenever you can right here.

This is a rather interesting public approach for a homeowner to stop foreclosure — most distressed homeowners live in denial right up until their properties are up on the auction blocks.

Put simply, foreclosure is a difficult situation to handle. It can ruin a person’s life in the short-term and damage his or her credit well into the future.

It’s for this reason the we always suggest contacting the lender the moment it becomes clear that a mortgage payment will be missed or unpaid altogether. Often times lenders will work with homeowners to resolve the situations and stave of foreclosure action.

In short, do yourself a favor and ask for help! Short of that — or a creative donation-based Web site — the options are bleak.