Expert Assistance at a Critical Moment

It's soon time to "spring forward!"

Mr. Lopez* attended one of SALSA’s Wednesday clinics at Haven for Hope for assistance with a rent relief application to pay back rent he owed.

Upon inputting his information into the rental relief portals database, an existing application populated as “under review.” When we asked him about his existing application, he stated that he had gone through so many applications and called so many numbers for help, that he could not remember what work had actually been done – a problem that many of SALSA’s clients face. Mr. Lopez was instructed to look through his email for any correspondence stating that his file was under review, and he found one. The email revealed that he had applied months ago, and his application had just been reviewed a few days prior. The email also read that a strict two-day deadline was imposed for him to submit the necessary documents. This was day two. Mr. Lopez was able to quickly gathered what was asked from him at the clinic and submit it for further review.

A few days later the portal read that Mr. Lopez’s application had been approved and his landlord would be getting the funds related to back rent soon. Mr. Lopez was overjoyed that he did not have to wait at the back of the line to have his application reviewed and was able to avoid eviction with a stroke of luck and a little assistance.

The Haven for Hope Legal Clinic is hosted every Wednesday from 2-4 at the Haven for Hope Resource Center where SALSA staff and volunteers provide civil legal advice and assist with completing rental and utility applications, as funds are available. For more information, please contact Rick Gonzalez at rickg@sa-lsa.org.

*Client name has been changed

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