Living on the Edge of Eviction

Maryanne had been living at a shelter after being separated from her two children, who are 5 and 9, for about three months. The family was evicted from their two-bedroom apartment in North Cambridge, where many of the city’s low-income families live.

At thirty-one years old, the single mother was struggling to get by on her own. She lost her full-time job earlier in the year. Her new job was just 20 hours a week, and at $13.50 per hour, it wasn’t nearly enough to cover monthly expenses.

Maryanne's story is typical in housing courts across the country, where tenants tend to be low-income women with children, who are working at low- wage jobs.

About 90 percent of landlords have attorneys representing them. Most of the tenants do not.

Maryanne was also dealing with anxiety and depression, which worsened after she lost her job. Her symptoms interfered with parenting and her work life, and led to conflicts with her landlord.

Eviction Means More Than Just Losing a Home

In the shelter, Maryanne’s mental health condition deteriorated and her children were placed in foster care. To make matters worse, her Section 8 voucher for subsidized housing was terminated due to her eviction, under federal regulations. She not only lost her housing, but lost the resource she desperately needed to get it back.

A Pathway Out of Homelessness

De Novo requested a reasonable accommodation on Maryanne’s behalf, arguing that her eviction was a result of a mental health condition that was now being treated and unlikely to affect her decision making in the future. With the help of an attorney advocating on her behalf, the local Housing Authority agreed to restore her Section 8 subsidized housing voucher. Maryanne is now searching for a new apartment for herself and her children.

* Client’s name and other identifying details have been changed to protect the client's identity.