“Rashida,” who receives a voucher to help with her rent, nonetheless fell behind on her payments when her employer cut her hours because of the coronavirus pandemic. Her landlord then sued to evict her, ignoring provisions of the CARES Act that protect tenants with HUD vouchers whose income was affected by the pandemic.
“Eunice,” who is 76 and deaf, had been living in the same apartment for more than a decade without any problem, paying her rent on time and keeping to herself. Her only visitors are her children and grandchildren, who stop by to check on her. One day, Eunice received a notice from her landlord claiming that her grandson was living with her as an unauthorized occupant of the apartment.
“Ariana,” was having problems with her neighbors in a public housing apartment complex. They had been harassing her ever since she reported them to management for using a fake parking pass and blocking other vehicles. During one of these incidents, her neighbor flashed a gun at her and threatened her. She called the police and filed for an injunction, not knowing what else to do. Her neighbor tried to turn the tables on her and told management that Ariana was the one who had threatened violence.
My client, who is deaf, was jumped by a group of men while walking home from work. Two days later his apartment was burglarized. The case caught my attention after it was reported by Vic Micolucci at News 4 Jax. It was especially interesting to me because the victim (and my client to be) was a cook at a local restaurant in the Lakewood area where I am a fairly frequent diner. My client’s apartment complex made some temporary repairs to correct the damage from the break in, but not enough to make much of a difference. There were also serious problems due to roaches and rats and there had been a major water leak that was causing serious mold issues. It was a bad situation and my client wanted to find a new place to live without having to worry about an eviction on his record.
Susan E.Mack has practiced law for 37 years as a senior corporate counsel and general counsel in the area of insurance and reinsurance transactions. Currently partner and pro bono coordinator at the firm Adams and Reese, Mack has demonstrated a strong commitment to pro bono service.
At the request of a local judge, Michelle Broyles, Division Chief of JALA’s Family Law and Victim Advocacy Unit, began advocating on behalf of “Dre,” 5. Dre’s mother struggles with substance abuse, which led to Dre being bounced around between his grandfather in Connecticut and different people in Jacksonville, some of whom were family and some friends.
“Sebastian,” 67, a veteran who suffers from PTSD and other service-connected psychological and emotional issues, contacted St. Johns County Legal Aid for help when his quiet upstairs neighbors moved away and were replaced by a noisy family.
After experiencing domestic violence that included choking, hitting, punching, stalking and cyberstalking, “LaRon,” 25, turned to JALA for help. At the time, she was in the midst of a paternity case involving her son. After paternity was established, the child’s father, who was also LaRon’s abuser, then withheld her son from her without justification for more than nine months.
“Soraya,” 54, is permanently disabled and unable to work. Her husband, a truck driver, is also her abuser. He threatened to take away her home and her citizenship if she asked for alimony. Soraya speaks only Spanish and was terrified to go to trial. She is a citizen, and it took her a long time to understand that her husband cannot take her citizenship away from her.
A U.S. Army veteran, “Reginald,” 70, had been living on Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and part-time wages as a handyman, earning less than $12,000 a year. Reginald, who had been diagnosed with two different types of cancer, applied to JALA for help with a divorce and was referred to the Veterans Services Unit.
