A public housing resident facing eviction after failing several apartment inspections turned to Lone Star Legal Aid for help. The client acknowledged that her apartment had become cluttered during a period when her mental health symptoms worsened, making it difficult for her to keep up with cleaning and organization.
After receiving a 30-day notice to vacate, the client feared losing the home where she had lived for years. LSLA attorney Susan Schoppa represented her at an informal grievance hearing and formally requested a reasonable accommodation related to her disability. The request included a concrete plan for additional time to bring the apartment into compliance and ongoing support from a member of the client’s church who agreed to check in regularly and help her maintain the unit.
The housing authority granted the reasonable accommodation, and the client worked with her support system to clean and organize the apartment. Ultimately, the housing authority did not pursue the eviction or terminate her housing subsidy.
For the client, the result meant more than keeping a roof over her head. It gave her the opportunity to remain safely housed while addressing the challenges that had contributed to the inspection problems in the first place.