“Antonio” is a veteran with service-related disabilities who lives in low-income housing in Jacksonville and receives a monthly voucher payment from the Jacksonville Housing Authority that enables him to stay stably housed. In 2018 JALA attorney Adam Thoresen helped Antonio obtain a reasonable accommodation request to increase his housing voucher payment to enable him to afford his housing.
“Lashawn,” who participates in the Housing Choice Voucher Program, came to JALA for help when her rental home became uninhabitable and her property manager refused to allow her to break her lease so that she could relocate. The conditions in the home, which included holes in the floors that allowed rats to enter, were adversely affecting her health, which was already compromised by kidney disease requiring dialysis.
“Louise,” 80, lives with her son in an apartment partially subsidized with a Housing Choice Voucher. She and her son, who has a disability, both receive Social Security benefits, which they depend on to pay the rent. Because the rent is due by the 15th of each month and the Social Security checks do not arrive until the fourth Thursday of the month, Louise has struggled to pay the rent on time.
One night can dramatically change a parent and child’s life when violence infiltrates a home and a family. When it happened to “Arnette Bravely,” she made the tough choice to call upon law enforcement and the courts to help secure safety for herself and her family. She knew she and her children would face a lot of uncertainty, but she persisted and spoke out against her abuser.
When their son died, “Myra Smith” and “Gus Turner” wanted to recover his belongings from his apartment. Unfortunately, the landlord was not in a position to allow removal of their late son’s personal property until after the statutory 60-day waiting period, or until there was an order from a probate court for the personal representative of the estate to remove it.
Christina McEuen was still adjusting to life as a widowed mother of three when she signed a lease on a small home in the Mandarin neighborhood of Jacksonville in 2016. Almost immediately after moving in, McEuen found the house had leaks everywhere, including the roof, pipes, and water heater. When an outlet caught fire, she discovered the fire extinguisher didn’t work. The handyman sent to correct the problems essentially applied useless Band-Aids to gaping wounds. “This house was a nightmare,” said McEuen, who had been a server at St. Mary’s Seafood and More until she gave birth to a baby with a compromised immune system and other special needs, including severe autism. Early in her pregnancy, her husband had died in a trucking accident, so she was alone in caring for her little Mikey and his older brothers, William and Jeffrey.
In 2010, Troy Bragg, a post-9/11 veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division, discovered he was the biological father of a daughter and immediately filed a petition for paternity on his own. His petition was granted, and he and his daughter’s mother reached a mutually agreeable parenting plan and time-share agreement. The judge’s order provided Bragg with majority time-share, which was successful for 10 years. But in August 2019, the girl’s mother began to take from Bragg’s time with their daughter and tried to alienate her from Bragg.
Rodney came to JALA’s Clay County office seeking help with probate on an estate he had inherited. Since he was a veteran, he was referred to JALA’s Veterans Services Unit. Declan Duffy, who leads the unit, drafted two separate petitions and three corresponding orders and filed each of them with the Clay County Clerk of Courts. These included an order to admit the will and one for homestead status on the family home.
“Julia,” 26, a U.S. Army veteran and mother of three, became pregnant and moved to Jacksonville to begin a new life with children, her partner and their soon-to-be-born child. But with the stress of the pandemic, cracks appeared in their relationship. After being with her for their baby’s birth, the father told Julia that he was going to take the baby to see his parents, who were visiting from out of town. Julia agreed. But it turned out that the baby’s father was in fact headed out of state with the baby. When she begged him to return, he refused.
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.
