“Evelyn,” 64, resorted to washing dishes in her bathtub in February after a broken pipe had left her kitchen sink unusable. She texted and called her property manager to try to get the sink repaired, but no repairs were made. Later that month, she had a stroke. From her hospital bed, Evelyn continued to try to get her property manager to repair her sink. She needed to make sure it was done before she got home from rehabilitation. Not only was it going to be extremely difficult to wash the dishes in the bathtub due to her limited mobility from the stroke, but she was also concerned that even attempting it would put her at risk of a fall and further injury. By the time Evelyn was discharged in late March, the problem still had not been addressed, so she contacted JALA for help. Staff attorney Suzanne Garrow helped Evelyn draft a letter to her property manager setting forth the conditions and her right as a tenant to have repairs made to ensure a safe and habitable home. As a result of her coming to JALA, the property manager finally fixed the pipe, and Evelyn can now live safely in her home.
