The “Robertson” family came to JALA when they were under threat of losing the home they had worked hard to purchase. Several years before, they had entered a contract to purchase their rental home from family members, the “Sellers.” They paid a down payment to get started and dutifully made their monthly payments over the years.
R.E.S.T.O.R.E., a Jacksonville charity that seeks to reduce recidivism by providing support services to ex-offenders transitioning back into mainstream society, acquired by donation a vacant residential lot from the City of Jacksonville. The previous owner, a corporation, had stopped paying property taxes on it. Having acquired the property in a tax sale, the corporation attempted to create a conservation easement on the property by conveying it to a conservation trust. The corporation then stopped paying the property taxes.
“Asmaan” came to the United States from Afghanistan after ISIS fighters attacked her village, killed several of her family members, beat her over the head with a gun, sexually assaulted her, and left her for dead. After seven years in the U.S., she was about to lose her SSI benefits.
After attending several outreach events conducted by JALA’s Veteran’s Service Unit, “Chuck,” a 72-year-old Duval County Veteran, came to JALA for help defending against a garnishment in small claims court. Attorney Declan Duffy of JALA’s Veterans Service Unit determined that Chuck was collection-proof, as the household’s only income was VA disability and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
“Sebastian,” 75, and his wife, “Elena,” 74, came to JALA for help after the property manager at their HUD-subsidized apartment in Middleburg, Fla, told them they could not leave Elena’s power mobility device near the entrance to their apartment. She needs the scooter to get around, while Sebastian uses a walker, and the couple also have a wheelchair van to assist with their mobility. Due to their disabilities, both are only able to walk short distances at a time. Unfortunately, their apartment is on a long hallway, and when they leave home, they have a long walk to get to the elevator and then to the parking lot. Sebastian would park Elena’s scooter, get their van, and then help Elena into it. He would then usually leave the scooter somewhere close to the door, rather than bringing it all the way back to their unit.
“Cyneetha,” 83, called JALA’s office for help obtaining a valid ID, as her old identification card was expired, and she was struggling to conduct routine activities without a current ID. Cyneetha had attempted to renew her FL Driver's License in 2020, but the DMV required her to produce a birth certificate to issue a REAL ID, and she didn’t have one. Cyneetha was born at home in South Carolina in 1938, and her family did not obtain a birth certificate at the time of the home birth.
“Chanel,” 72, was living in a privately owned HUD multifamily complex when her landlord retroactively increased her rent and threatened eviction if she did not pay in full. Fearing she would end up homeless, Chanel turned to JALA, where attorney Mollie Stewart handled her case. When increasing a tenant's rent, HUD requires all participating landlords to follow certain procedures, including proper notice of rent changes.
A single mother of two small children, “Denisha” came to JALA after she received a notice from the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) that she was overpaid $4,600 in unemployment benefits. Denisha had worked as a dental assistant in an office with six employees. After the pandemic started in March of 2020, the dentist cut the staff in half, even when new COVID health and safety measures required additional work for the staff. The dentist was placing extraordinary and unreasonable demands on staff, creating a hostile working environment. By November 2020, Denisha felt she had no choice but to resign. At that time she applied for and was approved for unemployment compensation benefits, which are now recognized as Re-employment Assistance benefits managed by the DEO.
“Bobby,” a Clay County veteran, turned to JALA’s Veterans Services Unit for help with several family law issues related to visitation after the mother of his three boys moved to Georgia with the children in violation of the terms of their divorce. Staff attorney Declan Duffy engaged in extensive litigation over several months, petitioning for a modification of child support and motioning for the return of the children. Duffy was able to help Bobby get an extra weekend each month with his sons, as well as a reduction in child support from $1,800 a month to $1,270 a month.
When “Marcy,” who has a disability, moved into a private apartment with her mother’s help, she had her emotional support dog with her. She later received a notice from her property manager saying that she had to pay a $500 pet fee. Although she notified the property manager that the dog was an emotional support animal and not a pet, she was still asked to pay the $500 pet fee.
