Ms. Xi lacked peace in her own apartment and felt burdened by a seemingly hopeless situation. She had rented out a room to be able to afford her apartment, but the roommate quickly tried to harass Ms. Xi out of her own home. First were the demands for renovations. Then came the complaint calls to 311. Then calls to adult protective services, claiming the elderly Ms. Xi was incapacitated and could not care for herself. The complaints and investigations were constant!
Open Hands was at a local food pantry when Ms. Xi came. She was distraught over the thought of losing her home, and welcomed the prayer and comfort from volunteers. She was overjoyed that Open Hands could help her stay in the apartment, and that this advice and help were free!
The attorneys provided Ms. Xi with the forms and a breakdown of the process to begin a roommate eviction case. The tenant did end up vacating the room once Ms. Xi began to take the steps to evict her.
She was also provided with a formal, high quality, roommate lease that will protect her from harassment in the future. The fear that engulfed Ms. Xi's life for months was replaced with a sense of empowerment!
Protecting Tenants, Restoring Hope
When Stephanie found herself living in unsafe conditions, unsure of how to protect her rights, she turned to Open Hands for help. On top of these challenges, Stephanie fell on hard times and struggled to pay her rent.
Open Hands reviewed her landlord’s agreement and realized it was not fair. It was rewritten to ensure Stephanie’s rights were protected. With the guidance from Open Hand’s attorneys, Stephanie negotiated better terms and had her landlord agree to additional protections, including reimbursement for a new lock.
After prayer for God’s guidance, Stepheanie met her landlord and signed the agreement, and was able to move forward with peace of mind.
From Problems to Citizenship
David found Open Hands just in time - he had lost his job because he lost his Green Card, and had no proof of status with his employer. Avril, Open Hands' Legal Director, helped David file the I-90 paperwork to replace his Green Card, and that would help him prove his status. Avril also noticed that David met the timeline for naturalization, as he had been in the States longer than the required period. And so Avril helped David apply for citizenship.
A volunteer encouraged David to attend a citizenship program, and so David did easily pass his citizenship test.
Open Hands then received a request for additional information for his application from USCIS. Usually, this is the issue - how MUCH TIME it takes with USCIS, for documents, applications, and any complication adds significantly more time. Thankfully, Avril resolved any issues with the application - and it was approved!
David is now a naturalized citizen of the US! He was recently sworn in down at Federal Plaza in NYC. We are all so excited for him!
David got his job back! And now, David's employment opportunities have opened up further, and once he gets his US Passport, he can apply at jobs that require travel.
Our Client Gets Home
Oscar was working with another non-profit to secure housing for his family, but he needed proof of his citizenship. He had never received his naturalization certificate.
Oscar gave the required information needed to help. Avril, our Legal Director, was then able to file BOTH a freedom of information request to get a copy of the certificate from his immigration file AND the application to replace the certificate.
When the new certificate arrived at the office on Tuesday, it was scanned and sent to Avril. Within two hours, both Avril and Oscar rushed to the office - the deadline for his housing eligibility was that close! Oscar was thrilled to receive this help and his family is now in their new home.