ORLANDO -- Hundreds of Central Floridians are dealing with foreclosure notices, but there are solutions that can help families avoid being tossed out of their homes.

Vietnam veteran Tony Williams, 61, lost his wife to cancer last year and became another victim of foreclosure in Central Florida.

"I didn't hear anything," Williams said. "It was sold, and I didn't know anything about it."

Williams and his sister, Cheryl Pope, said they were upset that his belongings were thrown into the street.

"It's pretty sad that they just dumped and broke everything," Pope said.

Pope said Williams' wife earned the money in the family, and when her checks stopped, it depleted his savings. He had no financial back up, Local 6's Mike Holfeld reported.

"With no income and he being very ill, he didn't have any money to pay the mortgage," Pope said.

However, experts said it could have been avoided for roughly $300 a year.

"That's how little it would cost to make sure your spouse was protected in the event of your untimely death, said Steve Simms, chairman of the Florida Association of Insurance Agents.

Simms said that if Wiliams and his wife had purchased separate mortgage insurance 12 years ago, the house would still be his.

Holfeld reported that a 40-year-old non-smoking male who is in good health can insure a $150,000 mortgage for $347 a year.

And, a 40-year-old female non-smoker in good health would pay less at $267 a year.

"I'd recommend this so you can sleep at night," Simms said.

Winter Park attorney Austin Aaronson specializes in saving mortgages and homes.

Aaronson said each case calls for a different foreclosure solution.

"I think there are more options than there have ever been in light on some of the stuff that we're talking about," Aaronson said.

People have several options, Holfeld reported.

First, people close to foreclosing should talk to the bank because no lender wants to foreclose. Many times, the bank will refinance your loan at a lower rate.

In fact, many banks are rolling the back payments into a new loan.

Until now, the last resort was to sell a home. But, people may be able to avoid that with an new solution -- short refinance.

"You can get a refinancing of the property at a reduced value," Aaronson said. "Presumably correlating the fair market value of the property as opposed to what you happen to owe on the mortgage."

So, a homeowner would keep his or her house at the current market value.

The bank gets a tax write-off, but the homeowner may have to declare the adjusted value as income, Holfeld reported.

"That's going to be discretionary with the lender, but it is a very viable option," Aaronson said.

Once a person receives a foreclosure notice, he or she has 20 days to respond and come up with a plan.

An attorney group is working pro-bona to help, Holfeld reported. The Florida Attornies Savings Homes group can be reached at 866-607-2187.