(Photo not that of the actual client.)
After “Sharon,” a single mother of five children, was hit in the cheek by a stray bullet that entered her living room during a drive-by shooting, she sought to relocate her family to a safer neighborhood.
The family had lived in the same subsidized housing for 10 years and had always been good tenants. Her Jacksonville Housing Authority (JHA) caseworker granted permission for her to transfer her Section 8 voucher and move her family. But when the landlord would not let her out of her lease, Sharon turned to JALA for help.
Her JALA attorney informed the landlord that he faced potential liability issues should another shooting occur at the property and cause harm to Sharon or her family. Additionally, JALA’s attorney met with the JHA’s Section 8 director and explained the situation. Believing that Sharon had been a good tenant who was innocent of any involvement in the shooting, the JHA director joined JALA’s attorney in talking to the landlord and explaining the fear and danger Sharon faced.
After initially balking, the landlord agreed to the transfer without the need to go to a hearing, which would have taken weeks. Sharon was then able to use her voucher to secure other housing in a neighborhood where she and her children felt safer.
