Client Stories - evictionlegalhelp.org

MetroWest Legal Services Fights for a Mother and Son

April 1, 2021/in Client Stories /by agirouard

“Allan began sleeping at night in his employer’s van, which he drove during the day to bring special needs kids to school.”

At the start of the COVID pandemic, Allan had no place to go. He had received an eviction Notice to Quit after missing two months of rent and left to avoid court action. Allan had lived with his mother, Sarah, in her apartment a few years ago, so Sarah decided that he should move back in.

Shortly after Allan returned, Sarah’s landlord sent her an eviction Notice to Quit for having someone live with her without permission from the housing complex.

Greater Boston Legal Services Advocacy Opens Door to a Fresh Start

March 26, 2021/in Client Stories /by agirouard

CELHP Paralegal Allison Piper

JJ was working three jobs and caring for her two daughters when the pandemic hit. As two of her jobs phased out, she was able to keep the third until an injury flared up, causing her to take fewer hours. As medical bills mounted and her income depleted, JJ began to fall behind on rent. She struggled to pay her phone and WiFi bills and worried that her daughters would not be able to keep up with remote school.

Community Legal Aid is Keeping Survivors Housed

March 16, 2021/in Client Stories /by agirouard

Persis Ticknor-Swanson, CELHP Case Manager

CELHP Case Manager Persis Ticknor-Swanson

With 1 in 5 Massachusetts residents reporting domestic violence as a reason for their homelessness, collaborations between domestic violence organizations and legal aid can keep survivors housed.

Recently, the New England Learning Center for Women in Transition (NELCWIT), the sexual and domestic violence crisis center in Franklin County, referred a case to Community Legal Aid (CLA). The tenant, a single mother, had lost her job because of her abusive partner and owed thousands of dollars in rent. Her landlord refused to accept rental assistance to cover the amount owed and filed an eviction case against her.

Northeast Legal Aid is Closing the Digital Divide in Court

March 10, 2021/in Client Stories /by Bonnie Katz

CELHP Attorney Jolie Main

When COVID hit and court proceedings moved online, the digital divide quickly became an access to justice divide.

“The justice system is relying on technology to operate efficiently during the pandemic, but this assumes that technology is accessible to all, and as we see with our clients — that just isn’t the case,” says Jolie Main, a CELHP attorney at Northeast Legal Aid (NLA).

Justice Center of the Southeast is Meeting Tenants Where They Are

March 7, 2021/in Client Stories /by Bonnie Katz

CELHP Paralegal Kasha Ambroise

Kasha Ambroise, a CELHP Paralegal at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts, became a lifeline for Nuella* as she sat in a car in the parking lot of an emergency room.

Her 8-year-old grandchild was sick. Her daughter was anxiously trying to access an application for rental assistance (RAFT) on her phone. Nuella spoke Cape Verdean Creole; her daughter interpreted.