For Mary, the thought of being evicted in the middle of winter was anxiety-inducing. Aside from the impact of displacement on her chronic illness, Mary’s college-aged son was arriving home for the holidays soon, and she feared having to tell him they’d be spending their quality time in a shelter, rather than in his home of nearly five years.
“I kept thinking about my son, thinking about what he would do, how would he feel when he learns he doesn’t have a home. I didn’t want that for my son. That was a driving motivation to get help,” Mary said.
Mary disclosed her illness to her landlord who agreed to an informal payment plan for her back rent, which had accumulated while she was out of work managing her symptoms, in early 2024. Despite this agreement, her landlord filed an eviction against her last fall.
“It’s not like I wasn’t willing to pay my rent. I didn’t ask to get sick. I didn’t ask to be diagnosed with something that made it difficult to work. I’ve never felt anxiety like that in my life. I couldn’t pay everything I owed; I’d just moved my son to college out of state, I had medical bills to pay,” Mary said. “I kept thinking, ‘where’s all my stuff going to go? How was I going to move it all in 30 days?’”
Mary began researching her options and applied for emergency rental assistance.
“I think it was divine intervention. I was scrolling through my phone one day and the Illinois Court-Based Rental Assistance Program just appeared on my phone. When I read about it, I was like, ‘oh my goodness, this sounds like what I’m going through. This program can help me.’” Mary said.
By the time she arrived at her first court date, Mary was pre-approved for rental assistance and had returned to work, but her landlord refused to participate. LCBH Attorney, Lillie Therieau, told Mary she could use her “right to cure” to pay all her back rent and get her case dismissed. With her trial date quickly approaching on December 26th, they just needed more time for the check to arrive.
“Lillie went above and beyond. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t think things would have gone as smoothly,” Mary said. “When my landlord wanted me out of the unit instead of waiting for rental assistance, she was right there to advocate for me.”
Thankfully, the rental assistance check arrived on December 24th, and Lillie could hand-deliver the money to Mary’s landlord on Christmas Eve, just in time for the judge to dismiss and seal Mary’s case two days later.
“It was really a Christmas miracle. I’m so thankful that Lillie was with me, she stuck with me from beginning to end,” Mary said.
Today, Mary is still living in her home and is eagerly awaiting her son’s return for spring break. Going forward, she’s determined to advocate for increased awareness of and support for the services she believes preserved her housing.
“I’m a human being with kids and I have a right to fight for food, a right to live in my home, a right to fight for my living environment, and so do you. Never give up. Know that you have a right to present your case in court before a judge. You have a right to seek out rental assistance,” Mary said. “Fight for your case and give yourself your day in court.”