Base the amount of podcast I watched, I know it's very possible but with limited finance, it seems out of my reach.

That could involve mediation or court, OR possibly if nobody takes an action you may simply be awarded the EMD back after a certain time period.

Ourcurrent approach involves identifying possible contact information for thelisted owners and calling multiple numbers, but this process is time-consumingand yields limited results.

My girlfriend and I are looking to get into Multifamily real estate investing and have looked into the possibility of house hacking, although a good property for it seems to be tough but not impossible in this area.  

I would say no-pitch meetups over a year would be the best possible chance to find someone who can be a voice of reason in your investing life if you don't have one.

My plan is to be as knowledgeable I possible can so the deals I present are rock solid and convincing enough to get my money.

In the future you could add in penalties for being late and possibly a bonus for being early.

Individually a HELOC could possibly work if there is enough equity where it made sense.Randy

When we mentioned possible eviction for non-payment, she was shocked that we would consider evicting her during winter. 

not possible.