The number of U.S. home foreclosures is reaching all-time highs, but those numbers don't really put a face on this modern-day American tragedy.

A Jackson County couple is waging a battle to remain homeowners.

"You’re supposed to be happy in your home, but I'm not."

That was Joni Barley’s assessment of being a property owner. Joni and her husband Ulysses are two of the millions of Americans in danger of losing their home.

We’re behind on our mortgage and everything," Ulysses said.

The couple bought land in the Compass Lake area five years ago, then got two high interest construction loans to build the house. The first was at 10 percent, and the second at 17 percent. When the home was complete their plan was to refinance the loans for one conventional mortgage, but Joni says years later it still hasn't happened.

"When you think you’re closing on a ‘refi’ in two weeks and two weeks turn into two years, you get behind, and my husband was just hospitalized for 40 days and I have a brain tumor, and the stress alone, I can't take it any more."

The Barkley's are retired and their only source of income is their disability checks. To make matters worse, the couple says their mortgage company stopped accepting their late payments, but kept adding on fees.

In April they got the letter stating the foreclosure process had begun. To save their home the Barkley's tried to refinance their mortgage, but after four unsuccessful attempts they say they had to resort to another option.

"We proceeded to file Chapter 13 bankruptcy to force them to take the payments so we wouldn't loose our home."

But the courts denied the filing, so the couple's home cannot be protected under the state's bankruptcy laws. Now Jonie says it's just a waiting game.

"I just hope that other families just never have this same problem and I'm just devastated."

The Barkleys aren't giving up. They're trying to refinance their loan for the fifth time.