Photo not that of the actual client.
“Theo” turned to Jacksonville Area Legal Aid for assistance in obtaining reasonable accommodations due to his disabilities. He had been living in the same apartment complex for 28 years and was previously accommodated by the property management with an accessible parking space. However, after the property management repaved and repainted the parking lot in the apartment complex, his accessible parking space was removed and not replaced. In addition, although Theo had been provided with a ramp to his unit, the property management had never installed grab bars or railings as promised. Robert Maldonado in JALA’s Fair Housing Unit reviewed Theo’s case and sent a reasonable accommodation request on Theo’s behalf. The request was granted, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic there were construction delays. JALA arranged for the apartment complex to reserve an accessible space for the Theo until the work could be completed. In addition to the reserved space, JALA negotiated for the property management to make the adjacent spot a “no parking” spot so that Theo could get in and out of his car with no problems. After staying in touch with the property management over the course of 6 months, the work was finally completed and Theo was provided with a fully accessible, properly marked parking space. Furthermore, he was provided with railings for the ramp to his unit. Theo remains stably housed and expressed deep gratitude for JALA’s assistance.
