FacebookXLinkedInYouTube

Dennis.Harrison@jaxlegalaid.org

About Dennis Harrison

This author has not yet filled in any details.
So far Dennis Harrison has created 323 blog entries.

Answers to 3 commonly asked questions about tenants’ legal rights

News4Jax phones were ringing off the hook Thursday morning when they offered viewers a chance to receive free legal advice from Jacksonville Area Legal Aid lawyers who were at News4Jax to answer questions about a tenant’s legal rights. News4Jax partnered with JALA to offer the phone bank after the I-TEAM investigation Rodent Residential uncovered a mice infestation at the Hilltop Village Apartments. Here are the answers to the three most commonly asked questions:

2021-04-30T12:27:12-04:00April 30th, 2021|Fair Housing, News|

JALA enables tenant to break lease on mold-infested apartment without penalty

One day, “Anais,” who lived in a subsidized apartment with her 14-year-old son, noticed severe mold and mildew in the living room air vents of her apartment. Soon, the infestation had spread throughout the unit. Anais has an autoimmune disease, and after the mold was discovered, her doctor diagnosed her with respiratory ailments that required treatment and medication.

2021-04-07T17:12:27-04:00April 7th, 2021|Children's Health, Client Stories, Fair Housing|

JALA helps veteran become legal guardian and keep teenager out of foster care

“James,” 70, had helped raise “Cole” since he was born in 2007. A veteran living primarily off his Social Security income, he had known Cole’s mother for almost two decades and had allowed her and Cole to live in his home even though they were not related. She and Cole had been abandoned by Cole’s father, and James had become a role model and source of stability in the young boy’s life.

2021-05-04T12:41:41-04:00March 31st, 2021|Client Stories, Veterans Services|

Don’t neglect yourself during these times of tension

The past year has been wrought with ups and downs. We are impacted by the global health pandemic and by racial tensions. We have challenges with the economy. We have much political tension. We have been mentally and emotionally taxed on various fronts. We have experienced losses. Death of family members and loved ones. Decrease in clients. Changes in operations at home and at work. Managing the emotions of our children. Lots of overwhelm. People are resilient and we keep going no matter what comes against us.

2021-03-12T16:56:16-05:00March 12th, 2021|News|

JALA helps mother of teenagers with disabilities secure adequate housing

“Marta” has two teenagers whose medical disabilities require such substantial medical equipment that the family needs a three-bedroom apartment on the first floor. She had been on the public housing wait list for more than two years, and when she was finally offered a three-bedroom apartment, the offer was soon retracted. She was then offered a two-bedroom apartment that would not meet her family’s needs.

2021-03-11T12:16:55-05:00March 11th, 2021|Children's Health, Fair Housing, Uncategorized|

Volunteer helps client gain power of attorney for daughter

Before COVID-19 changed everything, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid had a clinic on the third Tuesday of each month where volunteer attorneys assisted low-income clients with the preparation of advance directive forms such as power of attorney and living will documents. With the current safety concerns, the in-person clinic has been on hold for nearly a year. However, many attorneys are still taking these cases pro bono and assisting clients without a fee to get the much-needed documents completed.

2021-03-05T13:17:08-05:00March 5th, 2021|Pro Bono|

Attorney Rusty Mead chooses pro bono work that keeps clients from falling into “a deep canyon”

When it comes to choosing pro bono work, Carrington “Rusty” Mead looks for the most time-consuming cases that other attorneys are least likely to take, and where the clients would suffer the most dire consequences without a lawyer’s help. “I prefer to do anything that will help people feel safe and help them be able to move forward easily in their lives, so they don’t get stuck in bad spaces. That’s what I prefer to do,” Mead said. “I’m always trying to stick my finger in a dam.”

2021-03-04T15:22:16-05:00March 4th, 2021|Pro Bono|

Longshoreman returns to work at the port with help from JALA

Rahmaal Fisher, 44, had been a longshoreman at Jacksonville’s port since he was 16, but after serving time in prison, he was barred from the job he loved because the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) would not issue him the required Transportation Worker Identification Card, or TWIC. “Once I got sentenced to prison, I thought I had it arranged to where it wouldn’t affect my port pass,” Fisher said. “Once I got released, I saw that it had affected it. Because I applied with TSA for the TWIC pass, and they denied it. So, I had to apply again, and they denied it again.”

2021-03-04T08:23:12-05:00March 4th, 2021|Client Stories|

Jacksonville Office

Serving Residents of
Duval County
126 W. Adams St.
Jacksonville, FL 32202
(904) 356-8371

Privacy Policy

St. Johns County Legal Aid

Serving Residents of
St. Johns County
222 San Marco Avenue
St. Augustine, FL 32084
(904) 827-9921

Clay County Legal Aid

Serving Residents of
Clay County
825 N. Orange Avenue, Rm 308
Green Cove Springs, FL 32043
(904) 284-8410

Nassau County Legal Aid

Serving Residents of
Nassau County
1901 Island Walk Way, Suite 111
Fernandina Beach, FL 32034
(904) 356-8371
X
Go to Top