To Carla, a single mom, stability starts at home. Her 3-bedroom house is perfectly situated so her mom can help her youngest get to school on time and she can catch the train to work, all while feeling safe in their neighborhood, which, after COVID and other big life events, is essential to keeping her family secure and happy, she said.
That’s why when her landlord threatened to evict her after her pharmacy job cut back her hours and she fell behind on rent, she was determined to keep her family in their current home.
“I didn’t know what I was going do, or where I was going to go. My landlord said that they would not collect my rent until I had the full payment, and I didn’t have the full payment,” Carla said.
Carla researched her options and learned about court-based rental assistance, which could help cover her back rent. She soon learned she had not been served a proper eviction notice, though, so her application was denied. She tried again a week later, but her landlord still had not filed an eviction against her; despite demanding Carla pay her back rent or move.
“The third time they served an actual public notice and the court date started moving forward. I applied for rental assistance again online. Throughout the process, I had been in contact with my landlord letting him know all the things that I’m trying to do, but he didn’t do his part to get the rental assistance approved,” Carla said.
Twenty-one days later, Carla’s landlord still hadn’t fulfilled his requirements for rental assistance and told Carla if she agreed to move out, they’d help her with three months’ rent going forward. Defeated, she agreed and prepared to move her family out of their home.
“I just felt like a failure to my kids, you know? I felt like a failure,” Carla said.
A few days later, Carla attended her court date and connected with a legal aid attorney in the Early Resolution Program. There, they told her she had a one-time Right to Cure, which would allow her to use rental assistance funds to stay in her home, even if her landlord didn’t participate, if she paid her back rent before her trial.
“I called my landlord back to let them know like, ‘Hey, I didn’t know about this other option, and I don’t want to move,’” she said.
With her trial set for just a few weeks away, LCBH Attorney Justin Cook took her case and helped her apply for rental assistance again.
“They told me that Justin was going to take my case and I was so thankful,” Carla said. “We still didn’t know if I was going to get approved for the full amount. And we also didn’t know if it was going to be on time, but I knew I had to try.” Carla said.
On the day of Carla’s trial, Justin received her rental assistance check, allowing her to exercise her Right to Cure with only hours to spare.
“I was praying and crying. I just couldn’t believe it when he showed up with the check. He’s just an angel,” she said.
Today, Carla and her kids are still in their home and thriving. In the fall, her sons will return to the same middle school and college as last year, surrounded by their peers and friends. Carla is enjoying her new job as a pharmacy tech. After a year of uncertainty, Carla is grateful to have stability restored in her home and to continue advocating for her family going forward.
“I had been going through this for almost a year, not knowing what I was going to do, and now I have a roof over my head. I’m very grateful.”