“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.
“Hassan” came to Jacksonville Area Legal Aid for help defending an eviction. His property manager had previously sued him for eviction, but Hassan had won. The property manager had then sued him in small claims court, where Hassan won again. When Hassan came to JALA he was seeking to defend a second attempted eviction by the same property manager. With the help of a JALA housing lawyer, Hassan won that eviction case too.
The Jacksonville Housing Authority denied “Liz,” who has disabilities, the live-in aide she had chosen to help her with daily activities. After being forced to withdraw its denial, the Housing Authority then made her wait eight months for approval to move into her apartment. As a result of the initial denial and lengthy delay, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid’s Fair Housing Unit filed an administrative complaint on Liz’s behalf, alleging an improper denial of the request for a reasonable accommodation of a live-in aide.
Tomi Hewell was facing foreclosure on her home after her husband died and she lost his income. With the help of Jacksonville Area Legal Aid and the St. Johns Housing Partnership, her home was saved. Our deeply valued partnership with SJHP is a national model that helps many people like Tomi Hewell stay in their homes each year.
“Anna” rents a mobile home with her 8-year-old daughter, who is diagnosed with multiple disorders that cause seizures, including epilepsy and cerebral palsy. Due to her serious medical conditions, it’s vital that Anna’s daughter avoid overheating, which can cause or exacerbate her seizures. Anna and her daughter had essentially been without air conditioning since the beginning of May and their home was often hot. The air conditioning unit and its maintenance are the responsibility of the mobile home park owner and management.
“Maryanne,” who suffers from PTSD, recently moved from the Midwest to Jacksonville, where she lives in public housing owned and operated by the Jacksonville Housing Authority. The conditions in her roach-infested apartment, where she had to go through a central lobby to get to the elevators, triggered her PTSD, and she was unable to live there. Without taking the proper steps under Florida law, Maryanne withheld her rent due to the conditions of her apartment.
“Belinda” and “Ernest,” an elderly couple living on rental assistance in Fernandina Beach, came to JALA after their rent suddenly increased from $479 to $730. They had lived in the same complex for eight years and couldn’t afford the sudden 66% rent increase. In 2018 their adult daughter had come to the United States from Australia. Because she was unable to handle her own funds, her husband, who was still in Australia, sent Belinda and Ernest money to pay her expenses, including her rent at a motel. The landlord counted these funds as income to Belinda and Ernest and raised their subsidized rent accordingly.
