A place to call home is one of the most basic needs for humans everywhere. When facing a worldwide public health crisis, a safe place to call home is more critical than ever.

Danika

Danika learned in the midst of the pandemic that her landlord was selling the duplex she’d been renting. The landlord told Danika he’d be bringing prospective buyers in to see the place, ignoring her health concerns about people entering her home during a pandemic. She worried about not only her own exposure to COVID-19, but the risk she would carry that exposure to her 73-year-old mother, whom she visits weekly, and the children she works with.

Danika asked her landlord to do virtual showings instead. He refused, and with only five minutes notice, entered the home with potential buyers. The landlord also gave Danika an eviction notice despite the eviction moratorium in place at the time.

With no place to go and no way to handle this on her own, Danika turned to Legal Advice & Referral Center paralegal Steve McGilvary for help. Steve quickly and clearly explained the paperwork she needed to file, how to prepare text-message evidence for court, and the best way to present her case when the time came. With Steve’s help, Danika attended the hearing fully prepared, knowing exactly what to do, and won the case.

Empowering and educating individuals is at the core of LARC’s work.

“Everything Steve said would happen, happened. He provided me with case-specific information and applicable laws, and they were completely caught off-guard with how much I knew,” Danika said. “If it wasn’t for Steve, I would have been suffering. I would not have gone through with the case, and they would have taken full advantage of my life. Steve came in ready to go and brought me back to a place where I am back to being confident in who I am.”

The legal and emotional support Danika received from LARC empowered her to move out of her apartment. “It wasn’t my home anymore: just a shelter,” Danika said. “Steve was a life changer. When he came in, he literally saved me. I don’t know how else to put it. Without his constant attention, patience, and kind words, it would not have gone well.”

Danika is just one of the thousands of people who turn to LARC every year for help protecting their right to a safe home. By supporting LARC, you can help us keep the Granite State safe and healthy by ensuring everyone who needs it can get the necessary legal support to keep their house a home.