Susan was referred to Legal Aid through the Medical Legal Partnership, a pilot project that connects Memorial Health System patients with legal advice and assistance. Susan was originally from Russia/Ukraine, but arrived in New York a few years ago on a T-Visa, an immigration status provided to victims of human trafficking. Eventually making her way down to Florida, Susan began seeking work, housing, and a fresh start to her life.
However, she still had a storage unit in New York containing everything she owned, including items of great sentimental value. She was about 6 months delinquent and the notices started arriving that they would be auctioning off her items if they did not receive the full payment of approximately $2,000. They refused to allow Susan to make any partial payments, and had assessed numerous fees and fines on her account. At that point, Susan’s Memorial health care provider heard about the issues she was having, and seeing the harmful stress it was causing her, referred Susan to Legal Aid.
Susan consulted with the Medical Legal Partnership attorney and together they figured out how to allow her to keep her belongings and avoid a judgment on her record. The attorney successfully negotiated a payment plan with the storage unit company in New York. Susan was happy and relieved for the assistance, allowing her to keep working toward that fresh start she hoped for.