Preventing Homelessness

Gino’s journey began in Massachusetts, where life presented two paths after high school: college or the Army. With no funds for college, Gino enlisted in the Army, embarking on a relatively quiet four-year stint during the Cold War. After his service, he explored various careers, from warehouse work to computer programming.

After the September 11 attacks, Gino read about the Army Reserve raising the maximum enlistment age. Just barely making the new cutoff at age 39, he reenlisted without hesitation. The next few years brought Gino through harrowing combat and caused severe combat-related

Seeking a quiet, fresh start when he was discharged, Gino settled in a rented manufactured home in Milford. While it was over 50 years old when he moved in, he believed it was stable, and the grounds provided space for his new service dog, Phineas. However, over the next six years, the house deteriorated. The stove, a window, and the floor all gave out. Gino repeatedly contacted the property managers, pleading for repairs.

“For two years, I called and I yelled and I took pictures and I bought new appliances myself, trying to make do. And when they stopped answering, I stopped paying the rent.

Veterans, combat veterans especially, do not like to ask for help. I’m studying psychology now, so I can say this, but I think it’s an ego thing,” Gino said.

However, his caseworker at Veterans Count wanted to help him qualify for a housing subsidy. Shocked by the condition of his home, she informed him it would never qualify for the subsidy in its current state.

“When I got an eviction notice for not paying rent, we knew I had the pictures and the records, and I had a strong case, but I don’t know anything about legal speak. She told me about 603 Legal Aid.  I had not heard of that before. I was hesitant, but I said to myself, only a fool acts as their own lawyer, right? And I’m no fool,” Gino said.

“Sometimes it’s difficult to talk about your station in life. It’s embarrassing to say I live in an $800 trailer. The people I spoke with at legal aid made it really easy to be open and honest. Steve was just fabulous, one the nicest guys I ever talked to, and he knew his legal work.

“I told him the whole situation, and Steve said you have rights, and he gave me all these possible options. I knew I would be representing myself, and I didn’t know if I would win or lose but he gave me the strongest armor I could have.”

Armed with this newfound knowledge, Gino handed the information to his landlady before the hearing, just as Steve had instructed. They went into mediation, and the landlady withdrew the eviction, waived the back rent, and agreed Gino wouldn’t have to pay until the damages were fixed.

In the end, Gino got the outcome he wanted. He believed he shouldn’t have to pay for subpar living conditions, and he shouldn’t be ignored.

The day started out as a typical Friday for John. He returned home from his overnight job, took a quick nap, and then drove to Boston to pick up his daughter. John looked forward to spending a fun weekend with her at his apartment in Concord.

“When I returned home, I noticed a tube of papers finagled between my apartment door handle,” he said. “I assumed it was an invitation to a church event, but that wasn’t the case.”

John had received an eviction notice from the court. To make matters worse, it stated that he was supposed to have been evicted from his apartment a month ago for nonpayment of rent, and he had to appear for a hearing ASAP.

The notice was not entirely a surprise to John. His rent had been increased when he took a second job a couple of years ago. However, he stopped working that job six months later and didn’t notify the landlords about his decreased income until much later. Attempts to get the situation resolved on his own were ignored.

“A million thoughts raced through my head,” John said. “I had already fought in court for years to have a stable relationship with my daughter. Where would she stay when she’s with me if I got evicted? Would I even be able to bring her with me to NH? And how would this affect our relationship?”

John rushed to the courthouse and asked the clerk for advice. The clerk told him that it was probably too late for anyone to help him, but John refused to give up. Then he remembered 603 Legal Aid. The organization had helped him with a tax issue in the past and John recalled staff members’ patient and understanding demeanor.

“I left a message on the phone line and patiently waited for a return call. Not long afterward, I received a call back from paralegal Steve McGilvary. Steve listened to my story and gave me some background on how these situations usually go. He then explained to me my options and his opinion on the best course of action. It was extremely helpful and reassuring to know that I would be going to court with more of an understanding than in my previous encounters with the legal system.”

Steve also told John that he would try to get a lawyer to possibly help him in court the day of his hearing, although he cautioned that it would be a long shot.

“Regardless, I felt confident that a positive outcome would be reached,” John said. “That was all possible because of Steve’s preparation and encouragement.”

The day before his hearing, John received an email from New Hampshire Legal Assistance attorney, Lauren Greenwald. Lauren would be at the courthouse the following day and could help John plan a course of action before the hearing.

“I arrived at court early and was greeted right away by Lauren’s friendly smile,” said John. “We met in a mediation room and she was confident I could get some type of deal accomplished. She told me to wait in court while she would try and speak to the prosecution and see about the possibility of some deal being reached.”

When Lauren returned to John, he saw that she was no longer smiling. John’s landlords did not want to make any deal. Lauren suggested one last option she could bring to the landlords’ attorney to avoid the eviction.

“Her quick thinking had me feeling confident again as I waited,” said John “However, I still made sure to pray a quick rosary.”

The next time Lauren came back, the look on her face told John that his prayers had been answered. The landlords agreed to the pay and stay offer Lauren presented, and John would not be evicted if the terms were met.

“I happily signed the deal and thanked Lauren for her instrumental help,” he said. “603 Legal Aid is an amazing service to the Concord community and our great state of NH. I can never thank you guys enough!”

Legal aid attorney Stephanie Bray (left) sits with Jack in front of Jack’s home.

Jack purchased his home in Middleton in May 2018 with cash. Right after buying it, he used all of his remaining money to put in new plumbing. A string of injuries and medical issues since then prevented Jack from working and earning income for the next three years.

“It just seemed like everything I did turned to [expletive],” he said. “I was really aggravated with myself that I had no way of making money. I was starting to panic.”

Although Jack receives federal disability benefits, he hadn’t been able to put anything toward his property taxes since 2019. The town obtained a tax lien on his house in October 2021 and a town official and local law enforcement officer appeared at the end of his driveway to tell Jack he needed to vacate his property by the end of November.

“I said, ‘Okay, I’ll just sell the house and pay back the taxes.’ But she said, ‘You don’t own the house anymore. We took it from you.’ And I said, ‘I have a doctor’s note to tell you what’s happening to me. I just ran into a streak of bad luck and it’s been hard for me.’ It’s not like I don’t want to pay it. I want to pay it. I feel awful I can’t pay it.”

Jack felt overwhelmed and hopeless. He couldn’t sleep and didn’t know where to turn for help.

“I fought for this country. I paid cash for this home. How can they take this from me? I don’t understand it,” he said. “But I’m a fighter. I wasn’t going to take the weak way out.”

Jack’s Veterans Affairs case worker said that legal aid might be able to help. A new federally funded program called the Homeowner Assistance Fund was about to launch to help homeowners who have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and are behind in paying their mortgages, property taxes, or utility bills. NHLA works with the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority to help program applicants who are at immediate threat of homelessness due to a tax deed or a foreclosure, as Jack was.

“It’s helped me out so much, this program,” Jack said. “Thank God for it. Because if I didn’t have this program, I wouldn’t have my house.”

Jack was one of the first applicants of the HAF program, and the first to work with NHLA. He worked with attorney Stephanie Bray from NHLA to get a discretionary stay until his application could be approved and the town could receive the money.

“It was a race against time,” Stephanie said. “Basically, it was like a patient coming into a hospital on a stretcher flatlined. The tax deed had already happened. The eviction notice was already served. It was really late in the game. To make matters worse, I wasn’t hearing from the town while I was also putting pressure on the program to get the money freed up.”

On June 2, two days before Jack was to be evicted, the money came through and the town recorded the deed granting the home back to him. In further good news, as a senior and a veteran, Jack should be able to qualify for tax exemptions and deferrals reducing his future financial burden.

The process of getting Jack’s back taxes resolved was not smooth, but now he can remain safely housed with his dog and have storage space for his tools and equipment when he is able to return to work.

“Thank God there are people like Stephanie who help people like me. And this program being her is a huge blessing.”

When Emily’s roommate moved out of their apartment, Emily – who relies on disability benefits – had nowhere to go and no way to continue paying rent by herself. Grappling with the prospect of being evicted, facing homelessness and losing her two beloved emotional support cats began taking a toll on Emily’s health as she tried to find help.

“To be completely transparent, I didn’t think I would be able to see another day,” she said. “Being an epileptic, stress causes me seizures, and any seizure could potentially kill me. I didn’t know what I was going to do, until my phone rang and I heard the welcoming voice of Mr. Steve Tower on the other end of the line.”

Steve, an NHLA staff attorney, had been contacted by Manchester city welfare regarding Emily’s situation. Steve spent two hours calming Emily down, explained the eviction process to her and outlined her rights as a tenant.

The Center for Disease Control implemented an eviction moratorium early during the pandemic to prevent tenants who have been hurt financially and are unable to pay their rent from losing their homes. Keeping people in their homes and out of shelters prevents the spread of COVID-19.

On the day Emily was supposed to vacate her apartment, both she and Steve raised the CDC eviction moratorium and state laws that protect tenants to her landlord to keep her in her apartment.

From there, Emily worked on applying for help through the New Hampshire Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) while Steve convinced Emily’s landlord to renew her lease.

“I felt like there was some type of light and I was going to make it,” said Emily. “Steve went out of his way to make sure he could put me at ease no matter what time of day it was, and always helped direct me in the path of what to do next. Working with Steve made me feel confident in the decisions I was making.”

ERAP approved Emily’s application and is now providing rental and utility assistance. She also has assurance that she can remain in her apartment for at least one more year and has more time to find future housing or roommates.

“Seeing as my case is now over, I feel like my life is starting to look up a bit,” she said. “Steve is an incredible human who doesn’t just do his job with passion and pride, but with such love for the people he is helping. Steve Tower saved my life.”

Assistance animals provide crucial services and comfort for individuals with disabilities. Claire is a survivor of domestic violence, and deals with anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Her doctor advised her to get an emotional support animal to help cope and alleviate her symptoms.

Claire settled on a young Labrador Retriever named Axel, and immediately felt an improvement in her mood. Not only does Axel help Claire, he helps Claire’s fiancée, Jack, a veteran who also has PTSD. Her four children also have a close bond with Axel.

“They know what I’m going through, and Axel is able to help them cope too,” Claire said.

Claire didn’t tell her landlord about Axel right away. When he found out a few months later, Claire showed him her doctor’s letter. She was shocked to hear from him later that she would need to get renters’ insurance for $500,000 for personal liability.

Claire immediately tried to find out if what her landlord was asking for was legal. Her online research led her to the Legal Advice and Referral Center.

State and federal fair housing laws protect the rights of people with disabilities to have assistance animals even if a landlord has a no-pets policy. Emotional support and service animals are not pets, but rather are considered assistive aids.

An advocate at LARC advised Claire to file a complaint with HUD if her landlord didn’t change his mind.

Even after Claire told her landlord that she had received legal advice, the landlord was adamant that Axel would have to go if Claire did not get renters’ insurance, and she began to worry her family could be evicted if they didn’t get the unaffordable insurance.

“He talked about talking to his attorney and writing up paperwork,” said Claire. “I’m not sure I would have been able to handle the stress of going to court in addition to everything else in my life.”

LARC referred Claire’s case to NHLA’s Fair Housing Project, where Maria Eveleth guided law student Katie Mosher to represent Claire.

At first, Claire refused to get her hopes up.

“My previous experiences with state agencies filled me with uncertainty. I was constantly wondering to myself if they were really going to help me,” she said. “But with NHLA, I felt reassurance for the first time. Katie was very good in getting back to me by phone or email. And if there was something she didn’t know, she told me she would get that information and let me know once she did.”

Katie walked Claire through the entire case process and shared several helpful tips. She advised Claire to make sure she was responsibly caring for Axel and that Axel was behaving himself. She also told Claire to hold onto any documentation or communication from her landlord about possible retaliation.

Thankfully, no retaliation occurred. Claire’s landlord granted her reasonable accommodation request without any changes to her month-to-month lease, and Claire’s faith in the justice system was renewed.

“I would encourage people to support organizations like NHLA and the lawyers who give their time to help low-income people. I would not have been able to afford an attorney without legal aid. To those who support legal aid, your support is not going unnoticed.”