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John Oliver digs into a government program whose lack of oversight has left many risking their homes

John Oliver turned his attention this week to a public lending program called Pace, whose state-supported clean energy loans have stranded many vulnerable homeowners in overwhelming debt or at risk of losing their homes. The program, which stands for Property Assessed Clean Energy, “is a cautionary tale about how good intentions when not paired with careful, smart design, can end in disaster”, the Last Week Tonight host explained.

2021-06-22T09:09:44-04:00June 22nd, 2021|News|

Rodent-plagued residents take their fight to court

JALA files lawsuit  against Hilltop Apartments. This lawsuit, led by JALA, seeks a court order forcing the landlord to cure the infestation and provide temporary housing until the problems are resolved.  JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tenants at Hilltop Village Apartments, a government-subsidized complex in Northwest Jacksonville that have been reporting problems with rodents for the past year have now asked a judge to force the owner to move them until the mice infestation is fixed.

2021-06-08T09:36:31-04:00June 8th, 2021|Fair Housing, News|

Nick Pulignano comes to the aid of a family facing dangerous mold contamination

While there is a process for lawfully withholding rent when a landlord has not repaired unsafe conditions in a rental property, that does not always result in a satisfactory outcome for the tenant. Christina McEuen recently faced such a situation. Luckily, she came to Jacksonville Area Legal Aid and attorney Nick Pulignano was willing to step in to volunteer his time to assist McEuen after several private firms declined her case.

2021-06-04T10:23:31-04:00June 4th, 2021|News, Pro Bono|

CDC eviction moratorium ends June 30: Here’s where to get help

Right now hundreds of people are facing eviction in Duval County. According to the Duval County Clerk of Courts Office, more than 450 evictions were filed in May, which is down from 940 in January. An estimated one in five renters are behind on payments. If you are being faced with an eviction lawsuit, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid has an online tool to help you create a legal response.

2021-06-02T11:46:32-04:00June 2nd, 2021|Fair Housing, News|

Homegrown attorney Stephen Pitel leads JALA’s medical-legal partnership

A Jacksonville native, Stephen Pitel went to law school in Vermont knowing he wanted to practice public interest law, so when he found an opportunity to work at Jacksonville Area Legal Aid in 2015, he took it. “I couldn’t say ‘yes’ fast enough,” Stephen said. After serving as director of JALA’s Fair Housing Unit, Stephen became director of the Northeast Florida Medical-Legal Partnership (NFMLP) in 2019.

2021-05-10T14:50:49-04:00May 10th, 2021|Children's Health, News|

Florida Supreme Court Considers Rule Placing New Restrictions On Legal Aid Funding

If you are accused of a crime, you are entitled to a lawyer, even if you can’t afford one. But in civil cases, — things like evictions, foreclosures, or wrongful denial of government assistance — there is no guarantee of an attorney. These cases can be nearly impossible to navigate without representation, leaving many low-income people at a disadvantage. So in many places, legal aid organizations provide free legal representation to low-income people in civil cases. A new rule under consideration by the Florida Supreme Court would limit the way that legal aid groups can use certain funding, effectively curtailing the ability of legal aid firms to innovate and prepare for the future, according to opponents of the proposal.

2021-05-07T08:34:54-04:00May 7th, 2021|News|

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|

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|

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