Success Story from Legal Services of Northern California

Legal aid is about helping ordinary people with real-life problems. Client stories illustrate the day-to-day struggles-and victories-of poor Americans seeking justice under law.
Legal Aid Fixes Bureaucratic Error, Secures Housing Assistance

Stephanie has numerous physical and psychological disabilities and cannot read. She is in constant physical pain, has difficulty communicating with others, and becomes extremely frustrated when she is under stress or unable to make herself understood. She is an SSI recipient with a relative acting as her payee. Although she has lived in Vallejo for many years, Stephanie's SSI checks are sent to her payee's address in another city.

After being on the city of Vallejo Section 8 waiting list for many years, Stephanie's name was finally called. After Stephanie submitted her paperwork, the housing authority informed her that she would not get a voucher because they had determined that she was not a resident of Vallejo. The housing authority pointed to the fact that Stephanie's SSI checks were being sent to a non-Vallejo address. Stephanie was told that as she was not entitled to the residency preference, she would be placed at the bottom of the waiting list.

Stephanie repeatedly tried to explain that although her SSI checks went to a non-Vallejo address, she had lived in Vallejo for many years. The housing authority refused to speak to Stephanie's payee when he tried to assist Stephanie. Stephanie tried to submit old medical records and mail showing a Vallejo address, but the housing authority refused to accept these documents. The housing authority told her that their decision was final.

Stephanie was distraught at the prospect of never getting a Section 8 voucher. She made many calls to the housing authority trying to contact a supervisor and left several voicemail messages. The housing authority eventually wrote Stephanie a letter stating that she was being removed from the waiting list. Stephanie requested an informal hearing and had her relative-payee assist her at the hearing. The hearing officer ruled against Stephanie, and upheld her removal from the waiting list.

Stephanie contacted our office and we wrote a lengthy reasonable accommodation request. In the letter, we requested that the housing authority rescind its decision denying Section 8 assistance to Stephanie and return her to the waiting list. We also requested that the housing authority take the following steps to improve communication with Stephanie: 1) allow Stephanie to select a representative to assist her in future communications with the housing authority; 2) require employees to verbally explain any written notices of action to Stephanie; 3) require employees to communicate with Stephanie and her representative in private; and 4) assign a different worker to assist Stephanie and her representative.

The housing authority granted all of the requested accommodations and told Stephanie that she will be assigned a new worker once she is issued a voucher.

We advised Stephanie and her payee about what sort of documents to submit to the housing authority to prove residency. The housing authority accepted those documents and informed Stephanie that she should be getting a Section 8 voucher in October.

Note: This story originally appeared in the Legal Services of Northern California's Fall 2008 newsletter. Click here to download the full newsletter. (PDF icon 1.6mb)