Photo not that of the actual clients.
“Timir and Amal Asan” and their four young children are refugees who were legally admitted to the United States in 2016.
They had applied for housing from the Jacksonville Housing Authority in 2016 and finally got their Section 8 subsidized housing voucher in the fall of 2019. Under this program, the voucher entitles them to subsidized rent. Once they got the voucher, the family had 60 days to find a rental property within a defined low-income rent range, get the landlord to agree to rent to them under the Section 8 program, and have the unit pass an inspection by the Housing Authority.
During the months before the Asans received the housing voucher, Amal had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Her treatment included several surgeries, as well as chemotherapy and radiation. Throughout these medical procedures, at least one of which was out of town, Timir was struggling to balance his work with caring for his wife and their four children. He and Amal were simply unable to search for and secure a qualified, vacant rental unit during their 60-day window of opportunity.
The Housing Authority sent them a notice in December advising that their voucher had been terminated because of their failure to rent a unit during the time allowed, and their Section 8 voucher was withdrawn.
The Asans immediately wrote the Housing Authority asking for an extension on their 60-day period due to medical and family hardship. After receiving no response to their written request, they came to JALA in early January for help getting their voucher reinstated.
JALA attorneys reviewed their situation and had the Asans provide medical records confirming the various dates of treatment and the seriousness of Amal’s medical situation during the search period. JALA then met with several members of the leadership of the Housing Authority’s Section 8 program and argued that the family’s situation cried out for the Housing Authority to use their discretion and provide an extension on the family’s search period.
Two days later, the Housing Authority’s leadership agreed and extended the Asans voucher for an additional 45-day period. The Asans are now searching for a rental house under the Section 8 program and hope to secure one before Amal has to undergo more surgeries this spring.
