Housing subsidies are a critical lifeline for many low-income families, and they vary depending on the tenant’s income. “Brianna” and her three children lived in an apartment complex where their share of the rent was $224 a month, with the Jacksonville Housing Authority paying the $376 remainder. But in 2019, Brianna lost her Social Security income, leaving her with just $272 a month in child support.
At 90, “Edgar” can’t get around as well as he used to. With no car, he relies on taxis to go places, and sometimes when he can’t get a taxi, he walks to Walmart to pick up his medications or groceries. With no job, friends or family to support him, money is tight – so tight that Edgar was about to lose his home to foreclosure. Saving Edgar’s home was truly a collaborative effort, beginning with private attorneys Clyde Taylor and Brad Waldrop, who referred the case to JALA and have assisted Edgar with legal issues on a pro bono basis in the past. JALA in turn reached out to the St. Johns Housing Partnership (SJHP) for help with a loan modification as JALA attorneys prepared to go to court to stop the foreclosure.
Because of unpaid debt, “June,” 66, was having her income garnished by about $460 a month, which was roughly half her earnings. She believed she had paid her debt in full and that the debtor should have filed paperwork showing her debt had been satisfied. When she reached out to the debtor's attorney on her own, she was ignored. Then she came to JALA. Upon looking further into the case, her JALA attorney realized she may have had a few months left to pay due to the interest that was included in the judgment. Her JALA attorney reached out to the debtor's attorney, who agreed to waive the remainder of what was owed and file a satisfaction. JALA’s intervention saved June from several more months of garnishment she could scarcely afford.
“Timir and Amal Asan” and their four young children are refugees who were legally admitted to the United States in 2016. They had applied for housing from the Jacksonville Housing Authority in 2016 and finally got their Section 8 subsidized housing voucher in the fall of 2019. Under this program, the voucher entitles them to subsidized rent. Once they got the voucher, the family had 60 days to find a rental property within a defined low-income rent range, get the landlord to agree to rent to them under the Section 8 program, and have the unit pass an inspection by the Housing Authority.
“Sabrina” lives with her four children in public housing operated by the Jacksonville Housing Authority. There, the share of the rent she pays can increase or decrease based on household income, with her housing subsidy covering the remainder. Recently, Sabrina received a notice that her lease was being terminated because she’d failed to report some child support income in a timely fashion. She was going to be evicted for this alleged violation of her lease agreement. The notice further alleged that she owed $584 in back rent based upon the unreported child support income.
“Eamon,” 72, had been living in a rented home and needed to move to an assisted living facility, as his disability had left him unable to care for himself. He was trying to terminate his lease early, but despite his medical situation his landlord told him he’d have to pay $3,000 to do so. Eamon contacted JALA’s Fair Housing Unit for help.
Janie, 68, lives in a Low-Income Housing Tax Credit property along with her service dog. She has lived in the same unit for seven years, during which she has developed increasing disabilities. She now uses a wheelchair, and it became difficult for her to live on a higher floor and take care of herself and her dog, as she is no longer able to use the stairs. She therefore asked the property manager to be moved to a first-floor unit.
“Nate,” 57, came to JALA seeking help with a student loan garnishment. A former felon, he had long ago served his time and had been striving to be a productive member of society ever since. He’d gotten married, had a baby boy and gone to school to become a welder. However, his criminal record was hindering his efforts to find a job.
“Alan” came to JALA after being unable to make his FHA loan payment for about six months. He’d taken out the loan the previous year and then fallen behind during a contentious and costly custody battle, which had taken a toll on his mental health. Alan had sought help from the St. Johns Housing Partnership, who was told by the loan servicer that because he had not made the FHA-required number of consecutive monthly payments, he was ineligible for a loan modification. They advised him to contact JALA for help with the foreclosure case filed against him.
Having relocated from New Jersey to Jacksonville in 2018, “Eileen” took a job as a customer service representative in a call center located on the city’s southside. The call center was soon acquired by a new company, which placed Eileen and the other transferred employees into a mandatory six-week training program that had a "zero tolerance" policy for absenteeism. During the second week of training Eileen experienced a flat tire on her way to work. She immediately notified her employer via their automated call-in line that she couldn’t make it to work and then went in search of a replacement tire.
