Photo not the actual client
“Roberta,” a grandmother living in subsidized housing, lived in fear for her life and that of her loved ones after bullets from random, drive-by shootings had twice gone through her house, the second time severely injuring a visiting relative who subsequently had to undergo multiple surgeries. Roberta was diagnosed with severe anxiety after these two incidents. When she tried to break her lease so that she and her grandchildren could move to a safer home, the local public housing authority denied her a new housing voucher because her landlord claimed she owed more than $1,400, an allegation Roberta disputed. Attorney Suzanne Garrow in JALA’s Fair Housing Unit discovered that the landlord’s accounting ledger did not support the landlord’s assertion. She requested and received a reasonable accommodation for Roberta due to her severe anxiety and asked that the housing authority break its contract with the landlord, which allowed Roberta to get a new voucher and move. She and her grandchildren are safely housed once again.
