Naomi* experienced a traumatic and unexpected end to her long-term relationship and sought advice through the Ryan White unit as to her legal rights and options regarding her debt afterward. Not only did she suddenly find herself without the financial support of her former partner, but she was also without a home or any property. She only had the literal clothes on her back as he had dumped all of her clothes in the trash.
Naomi found peace of mind in the legal advice she received as to what creditors could and could not do to collect the debts she owed, and by use of the legal check-up on her application packet, Legal Aid was able to further assist in ways she had not expected. She was renting space on a friend’s couch, so the Ryan White attorney made sure she was set up with a housing case manager at a partner agency. Naomi also noted she needed food and clothing. With permission, the attorney reached out to all of LAS and CCLA and was able to collect four bags of clothing to help get her back on her feet, as well as three pages of additional community resources that were available to her.
*Names have been changed to protect the privacy of our clients.